''Against Democracy'' is a 2016 book by American political philosopher
Jason Brennan
Jason F. Brennan (born 1979) is an American philosopher and business professor. He is currently the Robert J. and Elizabeth Flanagan Family Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business at George ...
.
The book challenges the belief that the simplified version of
democracy used in the 21st century is good and moral.
In his work, Brennan primarily suggests that voters tend to be irrational and ignorant about politics. He believes that there is little incentive for voters to inform themselves about politics, as they believe (correctly) that one vote will not make a great difference in the overall election results. Moreover, he states that voters tend to make decisions that are ideologically inclined and easily manipulated.
Brennan presents and discusses different alternatives of "the rule of the knowledgeable" (
epistocracy
Noocracy (from Greek word ''noucracy'' (IPA: 'noʊˈɒkrəsiˈ) where ''nous'' means 'wise' and
''kratos'' means 'rule' therefore 'rule of the wise' ) is a form of government where decision making is done by wise people. The idea is proposed ...
), where only the most knowledgeable voters get to elect our leaders.
Reception
Law professor
Ilya Somin
Ilya Somin (born 1973) is a law professor at George Mason University, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, a blogger for the Volokh Conspiracy, and a former co-editor of the '' Supreme Court Economic Review'' (2006–2013). His research focu ...
, reviewing the book for
The Volokh Conspiracy in ''
The Washington Post'', described it as an "important new book" whose "analysis of epistocratic alternatives to democracy is worth serious consideration – even if most of these ideas are nowhere near ready for large-scale implementation". ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' said that the book is "Sure to cause howls of disagreement, but in the current toxic partisan climate, Brennan's polemic is as worth weighing as any other."
''
Los Angeles Times'' reviewer Molly Sauter found the book's premises "solidly argued, even lively, but not particularly novel" and would have liked Brennan to give more attention to the underlying causes of the problems it describes. ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
Magazine''s
Jesse Singal
Jesse Singal is an American journalist. He has written for publications including ''New York'' magazine, ''The New York Times'' and ''The Atlantic''. Singal also publishes a newsletter on Substack and hosts a podcast, ''Blocked and Reported'', ...
challenges Brennan's position, in particular the premise that a more qualified electorate would necessarily produce better decisions. Discussing ''Against Democracy'' in mid-2017 in the context of increasing numbers of works critical of democracy since mid-2016, ''
Current Affairs Current affairs may refer to:
News
* Current Affairs (magazine), ''Current Affairs'' (magazine) a bimonthly magazine of culture and politics.
* Current affairs (news format): a genre of broadcast journalism
* Current Affairs, former name for Behi ...
'' editor
Nathan J. Robinson
Nathan James Robinson (born c. 1989) is an English-American journalist, political commentator, and editor-in-chief of the left-wing progressive ''Current Affairs'' magazine, which he founded in 2015.
Early life and education
Born in Stevena ...
said that Brennan's book made "the most spirited and comprehensive" such argument but faulted the author for not addressing epistocracy's vulnerability to
confirmation bias
Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values. People display this bias when they select information that supports their views, ignoring ...
and its potential to help restore since-abolished hierarchies, naming
Jim Crow laws as a specific example.
Translations
The book has been translated into 10 languages.
In 2020 the Ukrainian translation of ''Against Democracy'' was listed by
PEN Ukraine
PEN Ukraine is a Ukrainian non-governmental organization established to protect freedom of speech and authors' rights, promote literature and international cultural cooperation. It is part of the network of national centers of the International P ...
among the best translations of ''Humanitaristics'' published in 2020. The translation was also short-listed for ''Ukraine's National Book of the Year 2020'' Award.
Ukraine’s National Book of the Year '2020 Award (''Knyzhka Roku '2020'', in Ukrainian)
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See also
* Criticism of democracy
Criticism of democracy has been a key part of democracy and its functions. As Josiah Ober explains, "the legitimate role of critics" of democracy may be difficult to define, but one "approach is to divide critics into 'good internal' critics ( ...
External links
Summary by the author
Review in ''The New Yorker''
References
{{Reflist
2016 non-fiction books
English-language books
Books in political philosophy
Ethics books
Books about democracy
Princeton University Press books