Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone

Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone - Paperback

$19.99
$19.99
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Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone
  • Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone
Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone - Paperback

Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone - Paperback

by Astra Taylor
$19.99
$19.99

Book Overview

What is democracy really? What do we mean when we use the term? And can it ever truly exist? Astra Taylor, hailed as a "New Civil Rights Leader" (LA Times), provides surprising answers.

There is no shortage of democracy, at least in name, and yet it is in crisis everywhere we look. From a cabal of thieving plutocrats in the White House to campaign finance and gerrymandering, it is clear that democracy--specifically the principle of government by and for the people--is not living up to its promise.

In Democracy Might Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone, Astra Taylor shows that real democracy--fully inclusive and completely egalitarian--has in fact never existed. In a tone that is both philosophical and anecdotal, weaving together history, theory, the stories of individuals, and interviews with such leading thinkers as Cornel West, Danielle Allen, and Slavoj Zizek, Taylor invites us to reexamine the term.

Is democracy a means or an end, a process or a set of desired outcomes? What if those outcomes, whatever they may be--peace, prosperity, equality, liberty, an engaged citizenry--can be achieved by non-democratic means? Or if an election leads to a terrible outcome? If democracy means rule by the people, what does it mean to rule and who counts as the people?

The inherent paradoxes are unnamed and unrecognized. By teasing them, Democracy Might Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone offers a better understanding of what is possible, what we want, and why democracy is so hard to realize.
ISBN9781250231284
Author Astra Taylor
PublisherMetropolitan Books
GenreNews & politics and Philosophy
FormatPaperback
PublishedMay 2020
LanguageENG- English
Pages368
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Nonfiction Philosophy Political Science

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About Astra Taylor

Astra Taylor is a writer and documentary filmmaker. Her films include Zizek!, a feature documentary about the world's most outrageous philosopher, which was broadcast on the Sundance Channel, and Examined Life, a series of excursions with contemporary thinkers. Her writing has appeared in The Nation, Salon, Monthly Review, The Baffler, and other publications. She lives in New York City.

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