First democracy : the challenge of an ancient idea / Paul Woodruff.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Woodruff, Paul, 1943-2023, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--Greece--History.

Democracy.

Democracy--Greece--Athens--History.

Democracy--Philosophy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 284 pages) : illustrations, maps

Other Title:

Challenge of an ancient idea

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Americans have an unwavering faith in democracy and are ever eager to export 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 this eye-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. 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 book illuminates these ideals and lights the way as we struggle to keep democracy alive at home and around the world."--Jacket

Contents:

1. Introduction : democracy and its doubles

2. The life and death of democracy

3. Freedom from tyranny (and from being a tyrant)

4. Harmony

5. The rule of law (nomos)

6. Natural equality

7. Citizen wisdom

8. Reasoning without knowledge

9. Education (paideia)

10. Afterword : Are Americans ready for democracy?

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-985074-7

1-280-84642-9

0-19-803938-7

1-4294-3847-9

OCLC:

646790529