![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In none of these or a thousand other lamentations is it clear what the authors mean by “democracy.” It is perhaps an opportune time to consider the life and work of a man who, as this book’s title has it, “understood” the thing Mr. Philosophy Tocqueville's Dilemmas, and Ours: Sovereignty, Nationalism, Globalization Ewa Atanassow How Tocqueville’s ideas can help us build resilient liberal democracies in a divided world Look Inside Hardcover Price: 39.95/35. Barack Obama, in a speech on “disinformation” at Stanford University on April 21, spoke mournfully of “democratic backsliding” and “the weakening of democratic institutions” at home and abroad. What strengthens individuals is association and what this. Margaret Sullivan, the Washington Post’s media columnist, asserted this week that “our very democracy is on the brink” and that one of the country’s major parties has dedicated itself to “the destruction of democratic norms.” Paul Krugman’s column in the New York Times, headlined “DeSantis, Disney and Democracy,” registered the same sentiment. For Tocqueville democracy is primarily a way of life, and only secondarily is it a form of government. Tocqueville’s ideas about what limited authority means and the citizen’s individual responsibility to prevent majority and minority tyranny can inform thought and action today. The title of Olivier Zunz’s biography of Alexis de Tocqueville-“The Man Who Understood Democracy”-would appear to be a direct appeal to readers who believe democracy is, to use one popular formulation, “under assault.” Anxiety over the fate of democracy has become the de rigueur emotional stance of the nation’s enlightened influencers. ![]()
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