Wild Democracy
Anarchy, Courage, and Ruling the Law
Published on 1. June 2023
Book
Hardback
238 pages
978-0-19-764434-8 (ISBN)
Description
Wild Democracy calls for a more anarchic, more courageous democracy. This is an ethic for people who know the rights they hold, and who struggle to rule themselves. This is an ethic for unfinished revolutions; an ethic for those who will not be mastered. This is an ethic for those who hold fast to the rights they have by nature. This is an ethic that requires courage.
Democracy is always a risky business; full of promise and danger. The promise is the freedom to rule ourselves. The danger is fear: fear of the unknown, fear of the unruly, fear of one another, fear of anarchy. Fear leads to authoritarianism. The fearful look for a strong hand, a powerful leader, a protector, a gun. Anarchy leads to courage, to self-reliance, self-discipline, self-rule, and solidarity. Anarchy is the nursery of democracy. It is not anarchy we have to fear, it is authoritarianism.
We have been taught to see the people as a problem to be managed. Anne Norton sees them as a source of strength. Anarchic democracy grows wild: springing from the everyday actions of ordinary human beings.
Liberalism and conservatism alike have turned away from the democratic, to institutions, rules, and regulations. Anne Norton turns to anarchic people who practice democratic ethics.
Democracy is always a risky business; full of promise and danger. The promise is the freedom to rule ourselves. The danger is fear: fear of the unknown, fear of the unruly, fear of one another, fear of anarchy. Fear leads to authoritarianism. The fearful look for a strong hand, a powerful leader, a protector, a gun. Anarchy leads to courage, to self-reliance, self-discipline, self-rule, and solidarity. Anarchy is the nursery of democracy. It is not anarchy we have to fear, it is authoritarianism.
We have been taught to see the people as a problem to be managed. Anne Norton sees them as a source of strength. Anarchic democracy grows wild: springing from the everyday actions of ordinary human beings.
Liberalism and conservatism alike have turned away from the democratic, to institutions, rules, and regulations. Anne Norton turns to anarchic people who practice democratic ethics.
Reviews / Votes
The knowledge of the commons may not be common knowledge right now, but it will be one day because Anne Norton is its prophet. 'If we are to be democrats,' she says, 'we must learn anarchy.' That means practicing the discipline needed to live with others with whom we differ and joining with others to democratize law. Part ethics, part politics, part how-to book, Wild Democracy is a brilliant cri de coeur. Written for readers of all classes and backgrounds, this book is a powerful, empathic call to the democracy of ungovernability needed to counter tyranny, authoritarianism, the rule of experts or judges, today's faceless algorithms, and whatever's coming next. * Bonnie Honig, author of Shell-Shocked and A Feminist Theory of Refusal * Wild Democracy is a beautifully written manifesto, a path forward, a philosophical tone poem, a luscious essay, an inspiration, a very different way to see. Norton imagines what real democracy looks like-bold, anarchic, piratical-and guides us through its prospects and its pitfalls. This is the most exciting and iconoclastic book I've read in a long time. * James A. Morone, author of Republic of Wrath and Hellfire Nation * Wild Democracy is a democratic compass for the twenty-first century. Anne Norton brings a new, bold, and regenerating perspective on democracy, its practice, virtues, and ethics. This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the present and the future of democracy. Norton shows us that democracy is not stable but is always open to change. Democratic life does not coincide with voting. It demands that people face the possibility of change with courage and discipline. Wild Democracy invites us to deeply rethink democracy as a form of life and togetherness. * Massimiliano Tomba, author of Insurgent Universality * Norton's new book Wild Democracy: Anarchy, Courage, and Ruling the Law sets out a capacious, anarchic, populist, energetic conception of democracy, above and beyond the narrow confines of political systems, lawmaking, and contemporary rivalries. * Samuel McIlhagga, Los Angeles Review of Books * This is a fine addition to literature in the past 20 years exploring how people throughout history challenged authoritarianism...Highly recommended. All readership levels. * Choice * The best work of democratic theory in decades. A provocation on every page, each indispensable for our times. * Wendy Brown, Institute for Advanced Study *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 211 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
378 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-764434-8 (9780197644348)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2023
OUP eBook
€9.99
Available for download
E-Book
02/2023
OUP eBook
€9.99
Available for download
Person
Anne Norton is the Stacey and Henry Jackson President's Distinguished Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of seven books, including Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire, 95 Theses on Politics, Culture, and Method, and On the Muslim Question.
Content
Forward
Theses for democrats
I. Anarchy, courage, democracy
1. Anarchy is the shadow and salvation of democracy. Authoritarianism is the enemy.
2. For anarchy, we need the anarchic.
3. Democrats are shabby.
4. Fear is the enemy of the democrat.
5. If people are to rule themselves, they must have courage.
6. Democrats take risks.
II. Free people keep something wild in them
1. Rebellion is not only a right: it is a duty.
2. The democratic citizen is both subject and sovereign.
3. Self rule is a discipline.
4. Empire is the enemy of the democratic.
5. Free people keep something wild in them.
IV. The canon of Western political philosophy was forged against the people.
1. The canon of Western political philosophy was forged against the people.
2. Forget Athens. Forget democratic genealogies.
V. Democracies are generative. Democracies are excessive. Democrats live with open hands.
1. Democracies are places of wild diversity.
2. The democratic disposition is cosmopolitan.
3. How free people love their countries.
4. Democracies are generative. Democracies are excessive. Democrats live with open hands.
5. All you need for democracy is humanity.
VI. Taxes are how people pay for the work they do together.
1. Democratic politics is born from human fragility.
2. The strength of the poor is the strength of democracy.
3. Want and democratic drive.
4. Taxes are how the people pay for the work they do together.
VII. Rights are born in the body.
1. Rights are grounded in the body.
2. People have the right to life, to liberty and to the pursuit of happiness.
3. People have the right to speak and to be silent.
4. People have the right to assemble.
5. People have the right to a place in the world. People have the right to move.
6. Rights are inalienable.
7. Rights are common.
8. Rights find their limits in the body.
VIII. Free People rule the law.
1. Rights are above, below and beyond the law. Rights undergird the law. Rights elevate the law.
2. Rule law. Do not simply be ruled by it.
3. People should judge.
4. The people are wise.
5. Democracies depend on truth.
6. Truth prospers when the people rule.
IX. Liberalism is a problem for democracy.
1. Undemocratic governments are unjust but not all democracies are just. Democracy is a necessary but not sufficient condition for justice.
2. The problem with liberalism
3. In defense of populism.
4. Institutions alone cannot ensure that the people rule.
5. How free people might choose their leaders.
6. Decentralization protects the rule of the people.
7. People can always recall their representatives, servants and officials.
8. Executive energy belongs to the many rather than the one.
9. The people, steering.
X. Force is the enemy of the free.
1. Military power is a danger to democracy.
2. Free people go to war together or not at all.
3. Private weaponry is an offense to free people.
4. Punishment demeans the democratic.
5. Free people are not policed.
XI. We have not yet finished with revolution.
1. Without free and courageous people, there are no democratic governments.
2. We are not democrats yet. We do not yet rule ourselves.
3. Self rule is a discipline.
4. We have not yet finished with revolution.
5. Democracy is not an idyllic state, democracy is a struggle.
6. Democracy is fugitive.
XII. The time of the democratic is past, present and future.
1. Democracy is episodic
2. The time of democracy is a time of celebration.
3. The time of democracy is a time of danger.
4. The time of democracy is a time of creation
5. Democratic time is sacred time.
6. The time of the democratic is past, present, and future.
XIII. People who rule themselves look both forward and back.
1. Democrats are conservative, progressive and radical.
2. Democracy moves upward.
3. Democracy moves downward.
4. People who rule themselves look both forward and back.
XIV. Free people carry the democratic with them.
1. Assembly preserves the anarchic. Assembly nurtures the democratic.
2. Democracy belongs to the city.
3. Democracy belongs to the country.
4. Free people carry the democratic with them. They should carry it into the factory, the shop, the school.
5. Democracy cannot be fenced out of the economic realm or separated from the social.
6. The rule of the people lives and is endangered in each person's body.
XV. The friends and enemies of the democratic and how to deal with them.
1. Equality is proper to democracy.
2. Inequality corrupts democracy.
3. Friendship teaches people to live democratic lives.
4. The enemies of the democratic and how to deal with them.
XVI. Let us walk like gods.
1. In ruling themselves, people become divine.
2. The voice of the people is the voice of God.
3. The people sing.
4. The earth belongs to the living.
Appendix of Imperatives
Acknowledgements
Theses for democrats
I. Anarchy, courage, democracy
1. Anarchy is the shadow and salvation of democracy. Authoritarianism is the enemy.
2. For anarchy, we need the anarchic.
3. Democrats are shabby.
4. Fear is the enemy of the democrat.
5. If people are to rule themselves, they must have courage.
6. Democrats take risks.
II. Free people keep something wild in them
1. Rebellion is not only a right: it is a duty.
2. The democratic citizen is both subject and sovereign.
3. Self rule is a discipline.
4. Empire is the enemy of the democratic.
5. Free people keep something wild in them.
IV. The canon of Western political philosophy was forged against the people.
1. The canon of Western political philosophy was forged against the people.
2. Forget Athens. Forget democratic genealogies.
V. Democracies are generative. Democracies are excessive. Democrats live with open hands.
1. Democracies are places of wild diversity.
2. The democratic disposition is cosmopolitan.
3. How free people love their countries.
4. Democracies are generative. Democracies are excessive. Democrats live with open hands.
5. All you need for democracy is humanity.
VI. Taxes are how people pay for the work they do together.
1. Democratic politics is born from human fragility.
2. The strength of the poor is the strength of democracy.
3. Want and democratic drive.
4. Taxes are how the people pay for the work they do together.
VII. Rights are born in the body.
1. Rights are grounded in the body.
2. People have the right to life, to liberty and to the pursuit of happiness.
3. People have the right to speak and to be silent.
4. People have the right to assemble.
5. People have the right to a place in the world. People have the right to move.
6. Rights are inalienable.
7. Rights are common.
8. Rights find their limits in the body.
VIII. Free People rule the law.
1. Rights are above, below and beyond the law. Rights undergird the law. Rights elevate the law.
2. Rule law. Do not simply be ruled by it.
3. People should judge.
4. The people are wise.
5. Democracies depend on truth.
6. Truth prospers when the people rule.
IX. Liberalism is a problem for democracy.
1. Undemocratic governments are unjust but not all democracies are just. Democracy is a necessary but not sufficient condition for justice.
2. The problem with liberalism
3. In defense of populism.
4. Institutions alone cannot ensure that the people rule.
5. How free people might choose their leaders.
6. Decentralization protects the rule of the people.
7. People can always recall their representatives, servants and officials.
8. Executive energy belongs to the many rather than the one.
9. The people, steering.
X. Force is the enemy of the free.
1. Military power is a danger to democracy.
2. Free people go to war together or not at all.
3. Private weaponry is an offense to free people.
4. Punishment demeans the democratic.
5. Free people are not policed.
XI. We have not yet finished with revolution.
1. Without free and courageous people, there are no democratic governments.
2. We are not democrats yet. We do not yet rule ourselves.
3. Self rule is a discipline.
4. We have not yet finished with revolution.
5. Democracy is not an idyllic state, democracy is a struggle.
6. Democracy is fugitive.
XII. The time of the democratic is past, present and future.
1. Democracy is episodic
2. The time of democracy is a time of celebration.
3. The time of democracy is a time of danger.
4. The time of democracy is a time of creation
5. Democratic time is sacred time.
6. The time of the democratic is past, present, and future.
XIII. People who rule themselves look both forward and back.
1. Democrats are conservative, progressive and radical.
2. Democracy moves upward.
3. Democracy moves downward.
4. People who rule themselves look both forward and back.
XIV. Free people carry the democratic with them.
1. Assembly preserves the anarchic. Assembly nurtures the democratic.
2. Democracy belongs to the city.
3. Democracy belongs to the country.
4. Free people carry the democratic with them. They should carry it into the factory, the shop, the school.
5. Democracy cannot be fenced out of the economic realm or separated from the social.
6. The rule of the people lives and is endangered in each person's body.
XV. The friends and enemies of the democratic and how to deal with them.
1. Equality is proper to democracy.
2. Inequality corrupts democracy.
3. Friendship teaches people to live democratic lives.
4. The enemies of the democratic and how to deal with them.
XVI. Let us walk like gods.
1. In ruling themselves, people become divine.
2. The voice of the people is the voice of God.
3. The people sing.
4. The earth belongs to the living.
Appendix of Imperatives
Acknowledgements