Democratic authority : a philosophical framework / David M. Estlund.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Estlund, David M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy.

Democracy--Philosophy.

Authority.

Physical Description:

xi, 309 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [2008]

Summary:

"David Estlund defends democracy for its ability to make good decisions without handing things over to experts. This book is original, imaginative, and filled with subtle and compelling philosophical argument. A wonderful book, and an important one."--Joshua Cohen, Stanford University

"This book breaks new ground, developing an overall view of democratic procedure, in particular of its legitimacy, that really has no precedent in the literature. It will stand as the canonical defense of epistemic proceduralism."--Philip Pettit, Princeton University

"David Estlund's book is original, ambitious, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. It is an important and philosophically nuanced contribution to democratic theory."--Christian List, London School of Economics and Political Science

Contents:

Democratic authority

Truth and despotism

An acceptability requirement

The limits of fair procedure

The flight from substance

Epistemic proceduralism

Authority and normative consent

Original authority and the democracy/jury analogy

How would democracy know?

The real speech situation

Why not an epistocracy of the educated?

The irrelevance of the jury theorem

Rejecting the democracy/contractualism analogy

Utopophobia : concession and aspiration in democratic theory.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [295]-302) and index.

ISBN:

9780691124179

0691124175

OCLC:

122291498