The soul of the polis : reclaiming civic virtue through faith

Abstract

The 'bystander effect,' a phenomenon wherein individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present, gained significant public and academic attention following the 1964 Kitty Genovese case in New York City. This and subsequent research in social psychology highlighted a troubling aspect of modern civic life: the reluctance to intervene in emergencies, often due to personal safety concerns or perceived lack of responsibility. Understanding and addressing civic disengagement requires examining the complex relationship between religion and society, particularly how religious traditions can shape, sustain, or sometimes undermine civic responsibility in contemporary democratic contexts.