Discussion #42: Democracy: A Life, by Paul Cartledge

<p>Welcome to Citizen Scholar! Since launching last year we’re reaching people all over the world, so we thank you for your support. If you enjoy our writing on civic virtue and individual excellence, we humbly ask you to share Citizen Scholar with your family members and friends who may enjoy it. The contents of the audio and text formats are identical and meant to accommodate your preferences. Please let us know if you have any feedback - we’re always looking for ways to improve!</p><p>This week we’ll continue our mini-series on the origins of systematic ideas with an examination of democracy. To this end, we’ve revisited the work of one of the greatest living scholars of Ancient Greek history: Paul Cartledge. Cartledge gives us an idea of the mindset he brings to the task right in the book’s dedication, which is made to two individuals. One is Josh Ober, a historian of Ancient Greece and classical political theorist, and another is “Freeborn” John Liliburne – a radical Leveller of the 17th century who fought for the idea that individuals are born with rights that can never be granted or taken away by government or by human law.</p><p>Cartledge wants the reader to understand democracy as he does. He establishes meanings of the word “democracy” itself and lays out the special circumstances that enabled the rise and continuation of “People Power” (demokratia) in ancient Athens. He then compares and contrasts the democracies that emerged in many other ancient Greek city-states without being overly triumphalist; he pays special attention to the strong anti-democratic trend among intellectuals of the time. Most of the highly educated class of the day was, after all, composed of aristocrats who had been disempowered by democratic governments. Finally, Cartledge traces the decline of democratic ideals and practice during the dominance of Hellenistic kingdoms and the Roman empire; he continues the story of decline and eventual rebirth through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, early-modern Europe and into the present day.</