The defenders of the French Revolution wished, with Robespierre, “that morality may be substituted for
egotism [self-interest].”
Write a five-page essay in which you define what the defenders of the French Revolution meant by “morality”
or “virtue,” and evaluate their claims. Pay particular attention to how their morality is related to Christianity.
Also, pay particular attention to how their conception of republican virtue was similar to or different from that of
America’s founders. Which regime do you believe was more virtuous, and why?
Capaldi and Lloyd: pp. 247–281
Capaldi, Nicholas and Gordon Lloyd, eds. The Two Narratives of Political Economy. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley
& Sons, 2011. Strauss, Leo and Joseph Cropsey, eds. History of Political Philosophy. 3rd ed. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1987.