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Fifth-century Athens is praised as the cradle of democracy and sometimes treated as a potential model for modern political theory or practice. In this daring reassessment of classical Athenian democracy and its significance for the United States today, Loren J. Samons provides ample justification for our founding fathers' distrust of democracy, a form of government they scorned precisely because of their familiarity with classical Athens. How Americans have come to embrace "democracy" in its modern form--and what the positive and negative effects have been--is an important story for all contemporary citizens.



Confronting head-on many of the beliefs we hold dear but seldom question, Samons examines Athens's history in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. in order to test the popular idea that majority rule leads to good government. Challenging many basic assumptions about the character and success of Athenian democracy, What's Wrong with Democracy? offers fascinating and accessible discussions of topics including the dangers of the popular vote, Athens's acquisitive foreign policy, the tendency of the state to overspend, the place of religion in Athenian society, and more.



Sure to generate controversy, Samons's bold and iconoclastic book finds that democracy has begun to function like an unacknowledged religion in our culture, immune from criticism and dissent, and he asks that we remember the Athenian example and begin to question our uncritical worship of democratic values such as freedom, choice, and diversity.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Athenian Society and Government
• Chapter 2 Democracy and Demagogues: Election, Voting, and Qualifications for Citizenship
• Chapter 3 Public Finance: Democracy and the People's Purse
• Chapter 4 Foreign Policy I: Democracy Imperial
• Chapter 5 Foreign Policy II: The Peloponnesian War
• Chapter 6 National Defense: Democracy Defeated
• Chapter 7 Democracy and Religion Conclusion
• Bibliography

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Publishers Weekly Review

?It is the purpose of this book to present and foster criticism of modern democracy,? Samons declares in the first line of this contrarian political history, which argues that Americans suffer from a ?national delusion? when it comes to democracy. He diagnoses numerous symptoms of the delusion, from a misconceived, almost religious obsession with the vote to a tendency towards demagoguery amongst elected officials and the loss of ?moral principles? as a guide for politics. But though Samons sets out to make what could be a thrilling and infuriating critique of our revered political system, he spends almost all of his time rewriting the history of ancient Athens. Since Samons works as an Associate Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University, it makes sense that he would analyze Athenian democracy in order to ?offer bracing positive and negative lessons for modern citizens.? In his chapter on elections and voting, he sketches a fascinating portrait of Pericles as a leader willing to challenge popular will?a startling contrast to modern political leadership. Subsequent chapters on public finance, foreign policy and national defense have a more tenuous connection to the book?s stated aim, however. Samons does present a clear and cogent narrative of how increases in Athens?s public wealth strengthened its democratic participation, which then fueled its imperialism and later its disastrous retreat from defense spending. But when Samons turns abruptly from this complex history to a direct comparison of Athenian and American democracy, the effect is both jarring and unsatisfying. The book offers plenty of insight for readers interested in Athenian history, but the provocative, perhaps brilliant, critique of modern American democracy promised at its outset gets lost along the way. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

CHOICE Review

Samons's goal is to offer guidance to those surveying the contemporary political scene in the US. His advice, however, may unsettle those who consider democratic characteristics of government the acme of political development. Unlike most recent volumes on Athenian democracy, which hold up Athens as a model of democratic practice, Samons's work is a hard-hitting critique of practically every significant aspect of democratic practice in Athens. Voting practices, foreign policy, fiscal policy, decision making, and defense all come under close scrutiny, and all come up wanting. For Samons, the root of the problems lies in democratic practices. Most of Samons's factual descriptions of Athenian practices (and attendant complaints) will not seem new to scholars of the period. Nonetheless, there is much to disagree with in this book, primarily in the points of comparison Samons uses to critique Athenian practices, which seem startlingly anachronistic. Also missing here is any understanding of why--despite its obvious warts--democracy is the preferred method of organizing a society for both Athenians and modern liberals. These two problems make it seem as though Samons is missing the deeper points of engagement in this argument. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Graduate and research collections. J. L. Miller SUNY College at New Paltz

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Loren J. Samons II is Associate Professor of Classical Studies and Associate Dean for Students, College of Arts and Sciences, Boston University. He is author of Empire of the Owl (2000), editor of Athenian Democracy and Imperialism (1998), and coauthor, with Charles W. Fornara, of Athens from Cleisthenes to Pericles (California, 1991).