Democracy is taken to be an obvious good. It often seems like the one thing we can agree on in a political debate. After all, only dictators and fools question the value of democracy...right? And yet, the value of democracy has been challenged again and again throughout history. Great philosophers from Plato to Confucius thought it was a terrible idea, and many contemporary Western political theorists have speculated that democracy may not be as useful or moral as we suppose. For those who believe in the value of democracy (its efficacy and its morality), it is important to analyze, articulate, and explore the arguments in which democracy is grounded. This talk will do three things: (1) explain what democracy is; (2) explain why serious historical and contemporary thinkers have distrusted democracy; and (3) explore the best contemporary arguments in favor of democracy. 

Presenter bio: Dr. Josh Duclos is the 1923 Chair of Humanities at St. Paul's School in Concord, NH. He earned a MA in Humanities from the University of Chicago and a PhD in philosophy from Boston University. A former Fulbright scholar, he is the author of numerous articles in moral and political philosophy and one book: Wilderness, Morality, and Value (Lexington, 2022).