Theories of Democracy

Dimitrios Halikias

This practicum will introduce students to a range of theoretical approaches to the subject of democracy. We will raise the question of what kind of a regime or government "democracy" is. Where does democracy derive its legitimacy? What (if anything) gives a democracy special value or authority? How role do deliberation, participation, and individual rights play in a democratic society? Our readings will survey some of the most influential articles and books written on the idea of democracy in recent decades. Some of these readings reconstruct historical theories of democracy and democratic authority. Others will offer more abstract and conceptual treatments of the connection between democracy and individual rights, equality, and consent. We will also consider contemporary debates over the connection between democracy as a way of life and democracy as a system of government. Those debates will introduce students to instrumental, epistemic, and deflationary attempts to theorize, defend, and critique democracy.