
Democracy Rules
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Narrated by:
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Derek Perkins
About this listen
A much-anticipated guide to saving democracy, from one of our most essential political thinkers.
Everyone knows that democracy is in trouble, but do we know what democracy actually is? Jan-Werner Müller, author of the widely translated and acclaimed What Is Populism?, takes us back to basics in Democracy Rules. In this short, elegant volume, he explains how democracy is founded not just on liberty and equality, but also on uncertainty. The latter will sound unattractive at a time when the pandemic has created unbearable uncertainty for so many. But it is crucial for ensuring democracy's dynamic and creative character, which remains one of its signal advantages over authoritarian alternatives that seek to render politics (and individual citizens) completely predictable.
Müller shows that we need to reinvigorate the intermediary institutions that have been deemed essential for democracy's success ever since the 19th century: political parties and free media. Contrary to conventional wisdom, these are not spent forces in a supposed age of post-party populist leadership and post-truth. Müller suggests concretely how democracy's critical infrastructure of intermediary institutions could be renovated, re-empowering citizens while also preserving a place for professionals such as journalists and judges.
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Performance
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America's NATO problem
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Overall
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Performance
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Plokhy delivers as always!
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- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
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Excellent, more accessable, contribution.
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By: Thomas Piketty
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Survival of the Richest
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- Unabridged
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Story
In Survival of the Richest, Rushkoff traces the origins of The Mindset in science and technology through its current expression in missions to Mars, island bunkers, AI futurism, and the metaverse. In a dozen urgent, electrifying chapters, he confronts tech utopianism, the datafication of all human interaction, and the exploitation of that data by corporations. Through fascinating characters, Rushkoff explains why those with the most power to change our current trajectory have no interest in doing so.
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It promises much and delivers too little.
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By: Douglas Rushkoff
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The WEIRDest People in the World
- How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous
- By: Joseph Henrich
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In The WEIRDest People in the World, Joseph Henrich draws on cutting-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics, and evolutionary biology to explore these questions and more. He illuminates the origins and evolution of family structures, marriage, and religion, and the profound impact these cultural transformations had on human psychology. Mapping these shifts through ancient history and late antiquity, Henrich reveals that the most fundamental institutions of kinship and marriage changed dramatically under pressure from the Roman Catholic Church.
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Lots of mispronounced words
- By Phil F on 10-24-20
By: Joseph Henrich
What listeners say about Democracy Rules
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- MC
- 07-11-23
Deeply instructive, flawlessly presented
For most of us, this book will have to be read more than once to be fully understood and appreciated. But even a quick read reveals uncommon insights about the democratic experiment. If nothing else, one can amazed and humbled by the breadth of the scholarship.
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