The Tocqueville Fellows is a select group of Furman undergraduates interested in cultivating the philosophic perspective on politics exemplified by Alexis de Tocqueville. Tocqueville, a 19th-century Frenchman, was one of the first to witness the momentous new force of modern democracy, and his observations on the far-reaching changes that democracy would bring are still hailed as prophetic today. Tocqueville’s perspective was informed by a thorough understanding of the political alternatives articulated by the philosophic tradition, and characterized by the conviction that a wise appreciation of the goods of an irrevocable past can guide our attempts to navigate an unprecedented future.
“I undertook to see, not differently, but further than the parties; and while they are occupied with the next day, I wanted to ponder the future.” –Alexis de Tocqueville
