{"product_id":"democracy-may-not-exist-but-well-miss-it-when-its-gone-9781250231284","title":"Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat is democracy really? What do we mean when we use the term? And can it ever truly exist?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eAstra Taylor, hailed as a \"New Civil Rights Leader\" (\u003ci\u003eLA Times\u003c\/i\u003e), provides surprising answers.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThere is no shortage of democracy, at least in name, and yet it is in crisis everywhere we look. From a cabal of thieving plutocrats in the White House to campaign finance and gerrymandering, it is clear that democracy--specifically the principle of government by and for the people--is not living up to its promise. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eDemocracy Might Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone\u003c\/i\u003e, Astra Taylor shows that real democracy--fully inclusive and completely egalitarian--has in fact never existed. In a tone that is both philosophical and anecdotal, weaving together history, theory, the stories of individuals, and interviews with such leading thinkers as Cornel West, Danielle Allen, and Slavoj Zizek, Taylor invites us to reexamine the term. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIs democracy a means or an end, a process or a set of desired outcomes? What if those outcomes, whatever they may be--peace, prosperity, equality, liberty, an engaged citizenry--can be achieved by non-democratic means? Or if an election leads to a terrible outcome? If democracy means rule by the people, what does it mean to rule and who counts as the people? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe inherent paradoxes are unnamed and unrecognized. By teasing them, \u003ci\u003eDemocracy Might Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone\u003c\/i\u003e offers a better understanding of what is possible, what we want, and why democracy is so hard to realize.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Metropolitan Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/19\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781250231284\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.10d","brand":"Astra Taylor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36648707752092,"sku":"9781250231284","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_e65e104d-25fb-4b6b-b33c-1243751acd0b.jpg?v=1603870803","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/democracy-may-not-exist-but-well-miss-it-when-its-gone-9781250231284","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}