Democracy: A History of Ideas

What is democracy? Is it the movement toward united self-government inwhich equality is our highest value? Or is it about preserving thefreedom of individuals? In Democracy: A History of Ideas, Boris DeWielargues that neither of these popular definitions is correct. Inspiredby Isaiah Berlin, he describes democracy as a contest of values.Equality and liberty, like justice and fairness, are among our ultimateideals, but no single value is supreme. Because they conflict with eachother, democracy is an endless battle of true yet contrary ideals.