Public Service as an Extension of Citizenship
Clearly the idea of civic virtue, at least in the democratic ideal, incorporates
the notion of service to the public. For this reason, discussion of democratic
theory must attend to the roles and responsibilities or the duties and
obligations of citizenship. A part of that discussion of particular relevance
to our argument here is related to the idea of service to the community or
nation. The virtuous citizen obviously is a citizen engaged in the work of
the community, but the virtuous citizen also has a duty or responsibility to
serve others. The idea of democratic citizenship has, since the earliest times,
implied a certain duty or obligation on the part of the citizen to contribute to
the betterment of the community. Many will recognize the Athenian Oath,
from ancient Greece:
We will never bring disgrace on this our City by any act of dishonesty or
cowardice.
We will fight for the ideals and Sacred Things of the City both alone and