About
At universities and among academically trained professionals, there is a need for broader reflection on the cultural, constitutional and communal conditions required for a free society. The public is currently confronted with an atmosphere in which our constitutional tradition receives too little attention. Important insights are consequently suppressed and forgotten. Voices seeking to present a more pluralistic perspective frequently lack depth, ideas and vision.
The solution to this problem lies in a platform for public knowledge-sharing, education and civic debate on ordered liberty within the Western tradition, beyond the old categories of ideology and pillarisation (‘classical liberal’, ‘conservative’, ‘Christian democratic’), and independent of political parties or religious groups. Engaged citizens, ranging in age from their twenties to their eighties, are thus able to meet one another and, through exposure to different perspectives, deepen their understanding of the cultural, constitutional and public conditions necessary for a free and responsible society. In this way, timeless ideas remain alive and influential, free from dogma.
Mission & Vision
Our mission is to promote knowledge, reflection, and public debate on liberty, responsibility, citizenship, the democratic constitutional order, and the cultural and institutional conditions required for a free and responsible society. At a fundamental level, we contribute to a broader and deeper understanding of ordered liberty within the Western tradition by organising academically rich activities and making the insights arising from them widely accessible to the public.
Our vision is of a well-functioning democracy, a thriving civil society, and civic enterprise — in short, a free society made up of responsible citizens and organisations. In carrying out our mission, we seek to bridge the gap between foundational principles and the issues of the day. We engage with questions such as: “What are the foundations of the rule of law, and how can they best be protected in our time?” Or: “What is the proper role of local government, and to what extent does current practice diverge from this?” We encourage debate on these matters at an academic level where such debate does not yet exist, wherever possible in cooperation with partner organisations that share overlapping missions and objectives.
Examples of activities include lectures, symposia and webinars. The insights and outcomes arising from these activities are actively translated into freely accessible public productions, such as articles, videos, newsletters, social media posts and other publications. Through an active media strategy and collaboration with communications professionals, the foundation is committed to ensuring broad public accessibility of its insights. Interested members of the public may register via our website to participate in our activities.
Our background
The Tocqueville Network is the 2.0 version and independent successor to the Dutch branch of the Common Sense Society. It is therefore a new initiative, but one that benefits from many years of practical experience. This includes organising discussions and events with writers such as Martin Sommer, Josse de Voogd and Rod Dreher, as well as professors and academics including Lex Hoogduin, Gabriël van den Brink, Stefan Kolev, Lucas Bergkamp, Frank Pieke, Ulrike Ackermann, Patricia Commun, Govert Buijs, Mattias Desmet and Olaf Sleijpen.
The Tocqueville Network draws inspiration for its principles from Alexis de Tocqueville, the foremost thinker on modern democracy. Like him, we stand for freedom, human dignity and democracy. In this way, we see ourselves as a thoughtful friend of modern democracy: guided by principles, but not bound to political positions.