Democracy: A History of Ideas [electronic resource]

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

DeWiel, Boris, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--History.

Democracy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (208 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Vancouver, BC, CAN UBC Press 20000101

Language Note:

English

Summary:

What is democracy? Is it the movement toward united self-government in which equality is our highest value? Or is it about preserving the freedom of individuals? In Democracy: A History of Ideas, Boris DeWiel argues that neither of these popular definitions is correct. Inspired by Isaiah Berlin, he describes democracy as a contest of values. Equality and liberty, like justice and fairness, are among our ultimate ideals, but no single value is supreme. Because they conflict with each other, democracy is an endless battle of true yet contrary ideals. The enduring structure of democratic conflict, the book argues, is rooted in the historical emergence of modern values. The approach is based on the simple premise that every new idea begins from an old one. Therefore, our own political ideas may be traced in stages to earlier beliefs about the good. By exploring the history of ideas, the book uncovers the deeply embedded pattern of ideological conflicts in politics today. The book suggests that wherever democracy arises, a pattern of conflict will emerge among socialist, liberal, and conservative ideas. Based on a sophisticated theory of politics, DeWiel's analysis promotes a better understanding of the major ideologies across democratic nations. By specifying the precise values embedded along the left-right continuum, the book concludes with an improved model of ideological differences for use in empirical and theoretical studies.

Contents:

Democracy and value pluralism

What is the people? : a conceptual history of civil society

From ancient virtues to modern values : positive liberty and the creative will

The teleology of modern time : negative liberty and human nature

Splitting the individual : the subatomic values of liberalism

Conservatism and the temporal order

Socialism and the power of social unity

Democracy as a pattern of disagreement.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

1-283-11197-7

9786613111975

0-7748-5247-X

OCLC:

57596433