TY - JOUR
T1 - Presaging the moderns
T2 - Demosthenes critique of popular government
AU - Sagar, Rahul
PY - 2009/10
Y1 - 2009/10
N2 - Modern political theorists, including Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Publius, consider popular government detrimental to the security of the political community, because they see it as being characterized by imprudence, indecisiveness, and indiscretion. It has not been widely acknowledged that this critique of popular government was, in many respects, presaged by the famous Greek orator Demosthenes. This essay retrieves his critique and argues that it reveals that conflict between the norms of democracy on one hand, and the demands of security on the other, cannot be resolved by urging democratization, as this would only reintroduce the difficulties he brings to our attention.
AB - Modern political theorists, including Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Publius, consider popular government detrimental to the security of the political community, because they see it as being characterized by imprudence, indecisiveness, and indiscretion. It has not been widely acknowledged that this critique of popular government was, in many respects, presaged by the famous Greek orator Demosthenes. This essay retrieves his critique and argues that it reveals that conflict between the norms of democracy on one hand, and the demands of security on the other, cannot be resolved by urging democratization, as this would only reintroduce the difficulties he brings to our attention.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70450253131&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=70450253131&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S002238160999017X
DO - 10.1017/S002238160999017X
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:70450253131
SN - 0022-3816
VL - 71
SP - 1394
EP - 1405
JO - Journal of Politics
JF - Journal of Politics
IS - 4
ER -