J Peter Euben

Athenian Political Thought and the Reconstitution of American Democracy J Peter Euben

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Publisher Marketing: 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. Review Citations:

Library Journal 12/01/1994 pg. 112 (EAN 9780801481796, Paperback)

Library Journal 12/01/1994 pg. 112 (EAN 9780801429804, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Euben, J Peter J. Peter Euben is Professor of Politics and History of Consciousness at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Contributor Bio:  Ober, Josiah Josiah Ober is Constantine Mitsotakis Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, where he holds joint appointments in the departments of political science and classics. He is the author of several books on classical Athenian political and intellectual history, most recently Political Dissent in Democratic Athens. He is now working on a project about the relationship between democratic political culture and the social circulation of knowledge. Contributor Bio:  Wallach, John John Wallach is founder and president of Seeds of Peace. A nationally syndicated newspaper journalist and internationally known television correspondent, he was foreign editor for the Hearst Newspapers and a regular contributor to NPR, BBC, and CBC. He has written three books and was a senior fellow at the United States Institute of Peace in 1997.