The New American Way of Ethics: The Political Ethics of Constitutionally Centered Public Service

Abstract

The conclusion summarizes why the political ethics of public service is a better ethos to govern American society than the prevailing American way of ethics and why constitutionally centered democratic public service qualifies as a bastion of public trust. Operationalizing John Rohr’s normative administrative theory, political ethics enables career public servants to function as constitutional balance-wheels to achieve constitutional equilibrium in government. The book concludes with a proposal for a rigorous leadership program designed to acclimate career public servants to on-the-job intellectual, psychological, moral, and political challenges. Besides preserving American self-government based on universal values—equality and liberty—the political ethics of public service catalyzes ethical progress in US society while endowing Americans with a future of great political possibilities