ABSTRACT
The concept of 'public philosophy'refers to the beliefs which inform people's understanding of the desirable role of politics and government in a democracy and of the relationships which should exist between the public and private realms. The idea of a 'public good' is seen as a sort of holy grail, external to individual preferences or values and waiting to be discovered by some co-operative inquiry. The history of the term 'public interest' gives some support to Brennan and Buchanan's interpretation. 'Rational egoism' in political life occurs much more among active participants than among the general population; but here too one must recognise the relevance and sometimes the dominance of other motivations. Public choice theory fails also to recognise the complexity of political motivations. There is ample evidence that individuals are influenced both by personality factors and social identifications. The traditional teaching of 'civics' in schools has been largely replaced by introductions to the more critical standpoints of political science.
