The Democracy Reader: From Classical to Contemporary Philosophy

by Steven M. Cahn (Editor), Andrew T. Forcehimes (Editor), Robert B. Talisse (Editor)

Overview

This timely anthology gathers forty historical and contemporary treatments of democracy. Short introductions precede each reading and a general introduction increases student comprehension across the spectrum of readings. This volume is ideal for both the undergraduate and graduate students in political theory and philosophy courses.

Historical readings include selections from Plato, Aristotle, Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, Baruch Spinoza, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the US Founding Fathers, Alexis de Tocqueville, Karl Marx, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, John Stuart Mill, W.E.B. Du Bois, John Dewey, and John Rawls. Contemporary readings include essays by Richard J. Arneson, Elizabeth Anderson, Sevla Benhabib, David Estlund, Jason Brennan, Julia Maskivker, Iris Marion Young, and Robert B. Talisse.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538157565
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	07/13/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Steven M. Cahn is professor emeritus of philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center.
Robert B. Talisse is the W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.
Andrew Forcehimes is associate professor of philosophy at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction by Robert B. Talisse
PART ONE: CLASSIC SOURCES
Pericles: Funeral OrationPlato: CritoPlato: RepublicAristotle: PoliticsMencius: The Works of MenciusNiccolò Machiavelli: DiscoursesThomas Hobbes: LeviathanBaruch Spinoza: Theologico-Political TreatiseJohn Locke: Second Treatise of Government John Locke: Letter Concerning Toleration Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Of the Social Contract Edmund Burke: Speech to the Electors of BristolThe Declaration of IndependenceThe Constitution of the United StatesAlexander Hamilton and James Madison: The Federalist Papers #10, #51, and #70The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the CitizenAlexis De Tocqueville: Democracy in AmericaKarl Marx: Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844Frederick Douglass: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?Abraham Lincoln: Gettysburg AddressAbraham Lincoln: Second Inaugural AddressJohn Stuart Mill: On LibertyJohn Stuart Mill: Considerations on Representative GovernmentElizabeth Cady Stanton: The Solitude of SelfW. E. B. Dubois: Of the Ruling of MenJohn Dewey: DemocracyJohn Rawls: The Idea of Public Reason RevisitedPART TWO: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
A. Justification

Richard Arneson: Democracy is Not Intrinsically JustElizabeth Anderson: Democracy: Instrumental Vs. Non-Instrumental ValueB. Deliberation
Seyla Benhabib: Toward a Deliberative Model of Democratic LegitimacyDavid Estlund: The Epistemic Dimension of Democratic AuthorityC. Voting
Jason Brennan: Polluting The Polls: When Citizens Should Not VoteJulia Maskivker: Being a Good Samaritan Requires You to VoteD. Challenges
Iris Marion Young: Activist Challenges to Deliberative DemocracyRobert B. Talisse: Polarization and Democratic Citizenship

Editorial Reviews

A valuable resource for anyone interested in the study of democracy—its nature, its value, its limitations. This volume offers a diverse and comprehensive array of sources, both classical and contemporary, that will prove helpful for students, teachers, and the public at large.

Claudio Lopez-Guerra

Cahn, Talisse, and Forcehimeshave put together a wide-ranging and thoughtfully crafted collection to explore the philosophical debates about democracy, from Plato’s challenge to the modern conflict between self-government and political equality. Each text comes with a crisp introduction that alerts the reader to the author’s central thesis. This volume will prove to be an ideal resource in every political philosophy classroom at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Candice Delmas

A valuable resource for anyone interested in the study of democracy--its nature, its value, its limitations. This volume offers a diverse and comprehensive array of sources, both classical and contemporary, that will prove helpful for students, teachers, and the public at large.

Cahn, Talisse, and Forcehimes have put together a wide-ranging and thoughtfully crafted collection to explore the philosophical debates about democracy, from Plato's challenge to the modern conflict between self-government and political equality. Each text comes with a crisp introduction that alerts the reader to the author's central thesis. This volume will prove to be an ideal resource in every political philosophy classroom at the undergraduate and graduate level.

From the Publisher

A timely and useful addition to AEJMC’s master class series, this book provides valuable information for the instructor of mass communication classes that focus on race. Editors George Daniels and Robin Bloom have collected articles that expertly guide the instructor on effective strategies for teaching race and managing difficult conversations.

Alexis Tan