The civic friendship dilemma

Liberals have recently argued that citizens of liberal societies might, despite ideological pluralism, be “civic friends.” Specifically, civic friendship might make a liberal society more stable. I develop a dilemma for this proposal. Only a relatively thin, abstract friendship can encompass citizens across a diverse political society. Such a relation has limited power to enhance stability. A thicker and more compelling national civic relation, however, conflicts with the reasonable pluralism of liberal society. I see only one way to escape the dilemma: a variety of localized civic friendships could exist as a patchwork across a liberal society. These local civic friendships could plausibly, although not assuredly, motivate a diverse set of groups to be more committed to the overall liberal institution that encompasses them relative to an institution that does not contain a civic patchwork.