Pragmatism and its consequences are central issues in American
politics today, yet scholars rarely examine in detail the
relationship between pragmatism and politics. In "The Priority of
Democracy," Jack Knight and James Johnson systematically explore
the subject and make a strong case for adopting a pragmatist
approach to democratic politics--and for giving priority to
democracy in the process of selecting and reforming political
institutions.
What is the primary value of democracy? When should we make
decisions democratically and when should we rely on markets? And
when should we accept the decisions of unelected officials, such as
judges or bureaucrats? Knight and Johnson explore how a commitment
to pragmatism should affect our answers to such important
questions. They conclude that democracy is a good way of
determining how these kinds of decisions should be made--even if
what the democratic process determines is that not all decisions
should be made democratically. So, for example, the democratically
elected U.S. Congress may legitimately remove monetary policy from
democratic decision-making by putting it under the control of the
Federal Reserve.
Knight and Johnson argue that pragmatism offers an original and
compelling justification of democracy in terms of the unique
contributions democratic institutions can make to processes of
institutional choice. This focus highlights the important role that
democracy plays, not in achieving consensus or commonality, but
rather in addressing conflicts. Indeed, Knight and Johnson suggest
that democratic politics is perhaps best seen less as a way of
reaching consensus or agreement than as a way of structuring the
terms of persistent disagreement.
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