5/8/2023 0 Comments Tocqueville's![]() In none of these or a thousand other lamentations is it clear what the authors mean by “democracy.” It is perhaps an opportune time to consider the life and work of a man who, as this book’s title has it, “understood” the thing Mr. Barack Obama, in a speech on “disinformation” at Stanford University on April 21, spoke mournfully of “democratic backsliding” and “the weakening of democratic institutions” at home and abroad. Alexis de Tocqueville’s name is synonymous with democracy. ![]() Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2022. What strengthens individuals is association and what this. The Man Who Understood Democracy: The Life of Alexis De Tocqueville. Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) was a French statesman and philosopher. ![]() ![]() Margaret Sullivan, the Washington Post’s media columnist, asserted this week that “our very democracy is on the brink” and that one of the country’s major parties has dedicated itself to “the destruction of democratic norms.” Paul Krugman’s column in the New York Times, headlined “DeSantis, Disney and Democracy,” registered the same sentiment. For Tocqueville democracy is primarily a way of life, and only secondarily is it a form of government. Tocquevilles writings provided some ideas still used in Sociology and Political Science in the modern era. The title of Olivier Zunz’s biography of Alexis de Tocqueville-“The Man Who Understood Democracy”-would appear to be a direct appeal to readers who believe democracy is, to use one popular formulation, “under assault.” Anxiety over the fate of democracy has become the de rigueur emotional stance of the nation’s enlightened influencers. ![]()
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