Debating Democracy
Do We Need More or Less?
Published on 30. December 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
298 pages
978-0-19-754082-4 (ISBN)
Description
Around the world, faith in democracy is falling. Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela have moved from flawed democracies to authoritarian regimes. Brexit and the rise of far-right parties show that even stable Western democracies are struggling. Partisanship and mutual distrust are increasing. What, if anything, should we do about these problems? In this accessible work, leading philosophers Jason Brennan and Helene Landemore debate whether the solution lies in having less democracy or more.
Brennan argues that democracy has systematic flaws, and that democracy does not and cannot work the way most of us commonly assume. He argues the best solution is to limit democracy's scope and to experiment with certain voting systems that can overcome democracy's problems.
Landemore argues that democracy, defined as a regime that distributes power equally and inclusively, is a better way to generate good governance than oligarchies of knowledge. To her, the crisis of "representative democracy" comes in large part from its glaring democratic deficits. The solution is not just more democracy, but a better kind, which Landemore theorizes as "open democracy."
Brennan argues that democracy has systematic flaws, and that democracy does not and cannot work the way most of us commonly assume. He argues the best solution is to limit democracy's scope and to experiment with certain voting systems that can overcome democracy's problems.
Landemore argues that democracy, defined as a regime that distributes power equally and inclusively, is a better way to generate good governance than oligarchies of knowledge. To her, the crisis of "representative democracy" comes in large part from its glaring democratic deficits. The solution is not just more democracy, but a better kind, which Landemore theorizes as "open democracy."
Reviews / Votes
Brennan, in particular, is quite good at presenting complex ideas in a straightforward, accessible way. He uses examples well to explain the real costs of giving equal power to people with unequal knowledge, as in the case of Brexit. Landemore...presents thought--provoking suggestions, such as the increased use of randomly selected citizen assemblies. Both authors, from their very different perspectives, present intriguing ideas about how people might influence decision--making other than through the representative systems Americans are used to. * J. Heyrman, Berea College, CHOICE * Could democracy be a mistake? Since it gives an equal vote to the wise and the irrational alike, how well can it really be expected to perform? Couldn't experts do better, and on such momentous matters shouldn't we go for the best? This challenge is traditional, but also currently hot inside and outside academia. As against some others Jason Brennan and Helene Landemore agree on the problem's fundamental importance, but from there much else is up for debate. As two leading contributors to the lively literature on these questions, Brennan and Landemore deliver a vividly written introduction that will appeal to students, and a cutting-edge debate of importance to scholars as well. * David Estlund, Lombardo Family Professor of Philosophy, Brown University * The future of democracy is one of the great issues of our time. In Debating Democracy, two of the world's leading experts on the subject debate whether the cure for democracy's ills is more democracy - as Helene Landemore argues - or whether we instead need tighter constraints on the power of democratic majorities, as Jason Brennan contends. Both defend their respective positions with great insight and skill. Scholars and laypeople alike can learn much from this outstanding work. It's hard to imagine a more timely book than this one! * Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, George Mason University *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
368 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-754082-4 (9780197540824)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
12/2021
Oxford University Press Inc
€112.66
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
10/2021
OUP eBook
€15.49
Available for download
E-Book
10/2021
OUP eBook
€15.49
Available for download
Persons
Jason Brennan is the Flanagan Family Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at Georgetown University. He is the author of fourteen books, including The Ethics of Voting (Princeton University Press, 2012), Compulsory Voting: For and Against (Cambridge University Press, 2014), and Against Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2016). His books have been translated twenty-four times into thirteen languages. He specializes in democratic theory and politics, philosophy, and economics.
Helene Landemore is Professor of Political Science at Yale University. She is the author of Democratic Reason: Politics, Collective Intelligence, and the Rule of the Many (Princeton University Press, 2012), which won the Spitz Prize in 2015, and Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the 21st Century Century (Princeton University Press, 2020). She researches democratic theory, constitutional theory, and political epistemology. She serves as an advisor to the
French government on the use of citizen participation in policy-making.
Helene Landemore is Professor of Political Science at Yale University. She is the author of Democratic Reason: Politics, Collective Intelligence, and the Rule of the Many (Princeton University Press, 2012), which won the Spitz Prize in 2015, and Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the 21st Century Century (Princeton University Press, 2020). She researches democratic theory, constitutional theory, and political epistemology. She serves as an advisor to the
French government on the use of citizen participation in policy-making.
Content
Introduction Part I: Brennan - Democracy without Romance
Chapter 1. How Real Democracy Really Works
Chapter 2. Is the Solution More Democracy?
Chapter 3. Democracy: Less Is More
Chapter 4. Alternatives to Democracy Part II: Landemore - Let's Try Real Democracy
Chapter 5. The Argument for Democracy
Chapter 6. Objections
Chapter 7. Against Epistemocracies
Chapter 8. If Democracy Is Such a Smart Regime, Why Are Democracies Doing So Poorly at the Moment and How Can We Fix Them? Part III: Responses by Jason Brennan and Helene Landemore Chapter 9. A Response to Brennan
Chapter 10. A Response to Landemore
Chapter 1. How Real Democracy Really Works
Chapter 2. Is the Solution More Democracy?
Chapter 3. Democracy: Less Is More
Chapter 4. Alternatives to Democracy Part II: Landemore - Let's Try Real Democracy
Chapter 5. The Argument for Democracy
Chapter 6. Objections
Chapter 7. Against Epistemocracies
Chapter 8. If Democracy Is Such a Smart Regime, Why Are Democracies Doing So Poorly at the Moment and How Can We Fix Them? Part III: Responses by Jason Brennan and Helene Landemore Chapter 9. A Response to Brennan
Chapter 10. A Response to Landemore