ABSTRACT
The notions of civis, civitas, civilitas (the art of government), were not unique to the development of Western civilization. In both the ancient Egyptian and Chinese civilizations similar concepts prevailed. The essence of the public interest is the lifeblood of democratic civilization; it is the interweaving threat—the life chain—that links together the notions of civis, civitas, and civilitas. In shaping the doctrine of the public interest in a pluralist context, quantity becomes the benchmark of quality, and that which is desired is readily seen as that which is desirable. The public interest in its organic splendor is a persistent theme in our political rhetoric and is an essential component of our democratic ethos. The central thesis of pluralist democracy relates directly to Lippmann's basic premise; namely, given the multiple and often conflicting demands made on the adult population of the body politic, civic responsibilities are assigned a low-order priority in importance.
