Book contents
- Can Democracy Recover?
- Can Democracy Recover?
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Words from the Author
- Introduction
- Part I The Rise of Western Politics following the Collapse of the Monistic Medieval Cosmology
- Part II The Emergence of the Epistemological Constitution of Modern Democracy
- Part III The Dialectics of Objectification
- Part IV The Erosion of the Epistemological Constitution of Modern Democracy
- Part V Democracy beyond Modernity
- Can Democracy Recover? Concluding Reflections
- Epilogue
- Index
Epilogue
“Depth Skepticism” and the Roots of Democratic Crisis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2025
- Can Democracy Recover?
- Can Democracy Recover?
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Words from the Author
- Introduction
- Part I The Rise of Western Politics following the Collapse of the Monistic Medieval Cosmology
- Part II The Emergence of the Epistemological Constitution of Modern Democracy
- Part III The Dialectics of Objectification
- Part IV The Erosion of the Epistemological Constitution of Modern Democracy
- Part V Democracy beyond Modernity
- Can Democracy Recover? Concluding Reflections
- Epilogue
- Index
Summary
Blander’s epilogue contextualizes Ezrahi’s current work within his previous research corpus as well as interweaving new concepts: depth skepticism, modest democracy, and the right to dream. Blander describes three spheres of democratic backsliding and the rise of populism: legal-institutional, social, and intellectual freedom. She suggests that Ezrahi introduces a deep explanation of these troubling trends. Blander introduces the concept of “Depth Skepticism,” which applies to philosophers, among them Ezrahi, who searched for deeper layers of the human experience in order to identify the causes of sociopolitical phenomena. The epilogue follows Ezrahi’s intellectual journey, identifying a connecting thread from his early work “The Descent of Icarus,” revealing the interaction between science, enlightenment, and democracy through “Imagined Democracies,” portraying the role of science in creating the epistemological foundations of modern democracy, to the current volume introducing the cosmological shift from Nature/Culture to a blurred “HumaNature” cosmology and how it affects democratic foundations. This shift calls for a “modest democracy” that accommodates reason, emotions, and ambivalence. It views democracy as a constructive utopia, allowing individuals and groups the “right to dream” within nonviolent pursuits. This democracy fosters compromise, balances power, and tolerates contradictions, embodying a constant state of becoming.
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- Information
- Can Democracy Recover?The Roots of a Crisis, pp. 213 - 238Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025