Robert Cavalier Bücher

With all the talk about "democracy" these days, it's surprising how little time is spent concentrating on the concept of democracy itself, its history and justification as a form of political governance. Democracy for Beginners looks at democracy's rich evolution in its varied forms, and at some of the challenges democracies face today. Beginning with the rise of democracy in fifth-century Athens and ending with an exploration of what the future might hold -- for example the notion of "e-democracy"-- Democracy for Beginners is an important resource for understanding the foundation on which our country stands. Readers will become familiar with ideas advanced by democracy's advocates and architects, and by its critics, from Plato to contemporary social choice theoreticians. Democracy for Beginners is the perfect introduction to the United States of America's founding principles.

All philosophy is a footnote to Plato. No other person so shaped the Western world and the way we think about it. Plato's questions remain as real for us today as they were 2500 years ago, and as human beings we cannot avoid their presence nor shirk our responsibility to attempt to answer them. Plato For Beginners introduces the reader to Socrates and what he meant by Truth, Beauty, and the Good. Classical dialogues such as Symposium, Phaedo, The Apology and The Republic are all explored in the context of his time and our own.