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What's Wrong with Democracy?

From Athenian Practice to American Worship
By Loren J. Samons and Loren J. Samons, II
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
What’s Wrong with Democracy? offers a daring reassessment of classical Athenian democracy and its relevance to the United States today. Loren J. Samons explores the founding fathers' scepticism towards democracy, rooted in their knowledge of Athens’s history. The book challenges widely held beliefs about majority rule, scrutinising Athens's political decisions, foreign policy, economy, and religion. It questions modern democracy’s uncritical acceptance, urging readers to reconsider cherished democratic ideals such as freedom, choice, and diversity.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This thought-provoking analysis will appeal to readers interested in politics, history, and political theory, especially those curious about the foundations and challenges of modern democracy. It is suited for students, scholars, and engaged citizens who appreciate a critical perspective on democratic values.

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An assessment of classical Athenian democracy and its significance for the US. It offers discussion of topics such as dangers of popular vote, Athens' acquisitive foreign policy, the tendency of the state to overspend, and the place of religion in Athenian society.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Fifth-century Athens is praised as the cradle of democracy and sometimes treated as a potential model for modern political theory or practice. In this daring reassessment of classical Athenian democracy and its significance for the United States today, Loren J. Samons provides ample justification for our founding fathers' distrust of democracy, a form of government they scorned precisely because of their familiarity with classical Athens. How Americans have come to embrace "democracy" in its modern form—and what the positive and negative effects have been—is an important story for all contemporary citizens.

Confronting head-on many of the beliefs we hold dear but seldom question, Samons examines Athens's history in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. in order to test the popular idea that majority rule leads to good government. Challenging many basic assumptions about the character and success of Athenian democracy, What's Wrong with Democracy? offers fascinating and accessible discussions of topics including the dangers of the popular vote, Athens's acquisitive foreign policy, the tendency of the state to overspend, the place of religion in Athenian society, and more.

Sure to generate controversy, Samons's bold and iconoclastic book finds that democracy has begun to function like an unacknowledged religion in our culture, immune from criticism and dissent, and he asks that we remember the Athenian example and begin to question our uncritical worship of democratic values such as freedom, choice, and diversity.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520251687

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 April 2007

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 3 b-w photographs, 3 maps, 1 table

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 454g

Pages: 327

Collections

Ancient & Classical History Education & Reference European History History & Archaeology History & Military Loren J. Samons Loren J. Samons, II Non-Fiction Philosophy & Psychology Philosophy & Stoicism Politics & Current Affairs

About the Author

Loren J. Samons II is Associate Professor of Classical Studies and Associate Dean for Students, College of Arts and Sciences, Boston University. He is author of Empire of the Owl (2000), editor of Athenian Democracy and Imperialism (1998), and coauthor, with Charles W. Fornara, of Athens from Cleisthenes to Pericles (California, 1991).

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