Home / Humanities / History / World History / Demopolis: Democracy Before Liberalism in Theory and Practice

Demopolis: Democracy Before Liberalism in Theory and Practice

AUTHOR
Price
€25.00
€27.90 -10%
Upon request
Dispatched within 15 - 25 days.

Add to wishlist

What did democracy mean before liberalism? What are the consequences for our lives today? Combining history with political theory, this book restores the core meaning of democracy as collective and limited self-government by citizens. That, rather than majority tyranny, is what democracy meant in ancient Athens, before liberalism. Participatory self-government is the basis of political practice in 'Demopolis', a hypothetical modern state powerfully imagined by award-winning historian and political scientist Josiah Ober. Demopolis' residents aim to establish a secure, prosperous, and non-tyrannical community, where citizens govern as a collective, both directly and through representatives, and willingly assume the costs of self-government because doing so benefits them, both as a group and individually. Basic democracy, as exemplified in real Athens and imagined Demopolis, can provide a stable foundation for a liberal state. It also offers a possible way forward for religious societies seeking a realistic alternative to autocracy.

. Establishes the hypothetical modern state of 'Demopolis' to creatively and effectively demonstrate the relevance of classical Greek democracy for liberal states

. Combines history with political theory to enable knowledge of the past to support the argument for the present

. Emphasizes the relationship of democratic legitimacy, civic education, and political participation, allowing audiences to connect democracy and popular participation without resorting to populism

Author: Ober Josiah
Publisher: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Pages: 222
ISBN: 9781316649831
Cover: Paperback
Edition Number: 1
Release Year: 2017

List of figures and tables

Preface

Acknowledgements

Note on the text

1. Basic democracy

2. The meaning of democracy in classical Athens

3. Founding Demopolis

4. Legitimacy and civic education

5. Human capacities and civic participation

6. Civic dignity and other necessary conditions

7. Delegation and expertise

8. A theory of democracy

Epilogue. Democracy after liberalism

Bibliography

Index.

Josiah Ober is currently a Professor of classics, political science, and (by courtesy) philosophy at Stanford University, California. He has been the Chairman of both a top-ranked humanities department within the department of classics at Princeton University, New Jersey, and a top-ranked department of political science at Stanford University. He has held visiting professorships in the UK, France, and Australia. His previous books have won prizes from the American Philological Association, the Society for Institutional and Organizational Economics, and the Association of Academic Publishers, and have been translated into French, German, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Korean, and Turkish.

You may also like

Newsletter

Subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to receive our new releases and offers
Your account Your wishlist

This website uses cookies

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners.