ABSTRACT
The distinction between the “private” and the “public” is not clear-cut, however. Despite the fact that we recognize that certain rights of the private realm must be protected in public, we also must acknowledge that many of the values that guide our public decisions are formed and cultivated in the private realm. Additionally, decisions about what belongs in the private realm, and those things that we ought to have a right to do even if others disagree, often are decided in the public realm. Questions about the proper role of government, the relationship between religion and politics, and the virtues that are necessary for a healthy society all address important areas of the tension between the private and the public realms.
