First Democracy The Challenge of an Ancient Idea

by Woodruff, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780195177183
• ISBN10: 0195177185
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-02-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Americans have an unwavering faith in democracy and are ever eager to import it to nations around the world. But how democratic is our own "democracy"? If you can vote, if the majority rules, if you have elected representatives--does this automatically mean that you have a democracy? In thiseye-opening look at an ideal that we all take for granted, classical scholar Paul Woodruff offers some surprising answers to these questions. Drawing on classical literature, philosophy, and history--with many intriguing passages from Sophocles, Aesop, and Plato, among others--Woodruff immerses us in the world of ancient Athens to uncover how the democratic impulse first came to life. The heart of the book isolates seven conditionsthat are the sine qua non of democracy: freedom from tyranny (including the tyranny of majority rule), harmony (the blending of different views), the rule of law, natural equality, citizen wisdom, reasoning without knowledge, and general education. He concludes that a true democracy must be willingto invite everyone to join in government. It must respect the rule of law so strongly that even the government is not above the law. True democracy must be mature enough to accept changes that come from the people. And it must be willing to pay the price of education for thoughtful citizenship.Ancient Athens didn't always live up to these ideals. Nor does modern America. If we learn anything from the story of Athens, Woodruff concludes, it should be this--never lose sight of the ideals of democracy. This compact, eloquent book illuminates these ideals and lights the way as we struggle to keep democracy alive at home and around the world.

Author Biography

Paul Woodruff is Darrel K. Royal Professor in Ethics and American Society and Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy, The University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of the popular book Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Maps	xiv
Introduction: Democracy and Its Doubles	3	(18)
The Life and Death of Democracy	21	(40)
Freedom from Tyranny (And from Being a Tyrant)	61	(20)
Harmony	81	(28)
The Rule of Law (Nomos)	109	(18)
Natural Equality	127	(18)
Citizen Wisdom	145	(26)
Reasoning Without Knowledge	171	(20)
Education (Paideia)	191	(20)
Afterword: Are Americans Ready for Democracy?	211	(22)
Notes	233	(25)
Dates	258	(2)
Cast of Characters	260	(3)
Guide to the Peloponnesian War	263	(2)
Ancient Sources	265	(1)
Scholarly Works Cited	266	(7)
Index	273