Against Democracy
| Author | Jason Brennan |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Political Philosophy |
| Published | 2016 (Princeton University Press) |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 9780691162607 |
Against Democracy is a 2016 book by political philosopher Jason Brennan.[1]
The book challenges the belief that the simplified version of democracy used nowadays is good and moral.
Arguments: Voters are not informed to vote sensibly. For example: many voters don't even know which party controls congress, don't know whether employment is high or low and show shocking ignorance on the basic questions related to the policies the parties support.
Brennan presents and discusses different alternatives of "the rule of the knowledgeable" (epistocracy), where only the most knowledgeable voters get to elect our leaders.[2][3]
Reception
Reviewing the book for The Volokh Conspiracy in The Washington Post, law professor Ilya Somin described it as an "important new book" whose "analysis of epistocratic alternatives to democracy is worth serious consideration – even if most of these ideas are nowhere near ready for large-scale implementation".[4] Los Angeles Times reviewer Molly Sauter found the book's premises "solidly argued, even lively, but not particularly novel" and would have liked Brennan to give more attention to the underlying causes of the problems it describes.[5] New York magazine's Jesse Singal examined the flaws he perceived in Brennan's arguments, and in particular challenged the premise that a more qualified electorate would necessarily produce better decisions. [6]
further reading
- summary by the author: The National Interest
- review: The New Yorker
- Criticism of democracy
- book list against democracy Criticism of democracy#Further_reading
References
- ↑ "Brennan, J.: Against Democracy (eBook and Hardcover).". press.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
- ↑ Purdy, Jedediah. "Votes of No Confidence". Book Forum. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
- ↑ Maitra, Sumantra (2016-09-10). "The Paradox of Democracy". Quillette. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
- ↑ Ilya Somin, "Democracy vs. Epistocracy", September 3, 2016.
- ↑ Molly Sauter, "How do we make America great? 'Necessary Trouble' and 'Against Democracy' take contrasting views", Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2016.
- ↑ Jesse Singal, "What a Georgetown Professor Got Wrong When He Argued That Maybe Dumb People Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Vote", New York, October 5, 2016.