It is hard to imagine many serious scholars have read Ryszard Legutko and became convinced in the fallacy of liberal democracy. Most read it because it provides insights into a worldview that is difficult for them to comprehend. Kind of like reading Mein Kampf. There is value in taking the time to understand different viewpoints... Continue Reading →
Anyone who studies democracy seriously must eventually find their way to Robert A. Dahl. Nobody has written more about democratic theory than Dahl. Yet there is a struggle within his writing to resolve the multiple values of democratic society. Giovanni Sartori accepted a natural conflict between equality and liberty. But Dahl was not prepared to... Continue Reading →
It has been said that anyone who knows only one country knows no countries. I know this is a famous quote from somebody I should remember but my mind is blanking like it so often does. As Montaigne complained, “My memory grows cruelly worse every day.” A background in China is necessary to a fundamental... Continue Reading →
Few books have captured the imagination of the intelligentsia like Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century. The book has reshaped how people think about inequality. It is not necessary to agree with his basic thesis. This is one of those books anyone who is well-versed in political theory must understand to converse on complex... Continue Reading →
There is no single text definitive text of democratic theory. This is quite remarkable upon deeper reflection. Marx was able to express the ideas of Communism. Adam Smith explained Capitalism. John Locke and John Stuart Mill gave powerful accounts of Liberalism. Yet there is no giant who has explained and defended democracy. Jean Jacques Rousseau... Continue Reading →
