In the contemporary United States the image and experience of
Athenian democracy has been appropriated to justify a profoundly
conservative political and educational agenda. Such is the
conviction expressed in this provocative book, which is certain to
arouse widespread comment and discussion.
What does it mean to be a citizen in a democracy? Indeed, how do
we educate for democracy? These questions are addressed here by
thirteen historians, classicists, and political theorists, who
critically examine ancient Greek history and institutions, texts,
and ideas in light of today's political practices and values. They
do not idealize ancient Greek democracy. Rather, they use it, with
all its faults, as a basis for measuring the strengths and
shortcomings of American democracy. In the hands of the authors,
ancient Greek sources become partners in an educational dialogue
about democracy's past, one that goads us to think about the
limitations of democracy's present and to imagine enriched
possibilities for its future.
The authors are diverse in their opinions and in their political
and moral commitments. But they share the view that insulating
American democracy from radical criticism encourages a dangerous
complacency that Athenian political thought can disrupt.
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