Monday, March 31, 2008

Social Responsibility is the Work of Collective Actors

This weekend we had the retreat of the Posse Scholars and their guests. The theme was "social responsibility." The group was a wonderful collection of energetic young people who want to do good. The general thrust of our discussions was to find practical ways to be socially responsible right now.

As I was reflecting on this conversation, I was struck by an idea that I had not fully articulated before: social responsibility is carried out by collective actors. Individuals change the world by creating collective actors and working together. Students offered several examples of individuals who have made a difference in the world. In each case, though, a few moments' reflection made clear that they did not act alone.

Wanting to change the world yourself is a good start. But actually doing it requires that you also develop the skill of working with others. Collective actors can be responsible for re-ordering the world responsibly.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you refusing to acknowledge that she is likely to win PA by a large margin? And win IN? and not to mention the blowout that she will deliver in KY?

Obama is not electable in the November. Plain and simple.

Gruntled said...

Um, is this comment meant to be in response to this post? I don't see how it connects to what I said.

Anonymous said...

Shangri La,
Not it doesn't but he is correct. He is all hat and no cattle. Sorry but it is true.