Democracy and Social Ethics

Published in 1902, Democracy and Social Ethics is Addams' first book. Originally a course of lectures delivered at “various colleges and extension centres” most of its contents were likely composed at the Hull House (Prefatory Note, 4). This book offers the reader an accessible language for explaining the relationship between ethics and democracy. Rather than define democracy as a political system, Addams defines it as a lifestyle, and a practice of ethics. Addams, a radical pragmatist, illustrates the necessity of this definition through her experiences with a variety of characters and events at Hull House.