Length10h 54m
About this audiobook
A classic book now available on audio
With narration by Christopher Ragland, who presents a bracingly provocative critique of one of our most cherished ideas and institutions
Most people believe democracy is a uniquely just form of government. They believe people have the right to an equal share of political power. And they believe that political participation is good for us—it empowers us, helps us get what we want, and tends to make us smarter, more virtuous, and more caring for one another. These are some of our most cherished ideas about democracy. But Jason Brennan says they are all wrong.
In this trenchant book, Brennan argues that democracy should be judged by its results—and the results are not good enough. Just as defendants have a right to a fair trial, citizens have a right to competent government. But democracy is the rule of the ignorant and the irrational, and it all too often falls short. Furthermore, no one has a fundamental right to any share of political power, and exercising political power does most of us little good. On the contrary, a wide range of social science research shows that political participation and democratic deliberation actually tend to make people worse—more irrational, biased, and mean. Given this grim picture, Brennan argues that a new system of government—epistocracy, the rule of the knowledgeable—may be better than democracy, and that it's time to experiment and find out.
A challenging critique of democracy and the first sustained defense of the rule of the knowledgeable,
Against Democracy is essential reading for scholars and students of politics across the disciplines.
Featuring a new preface that situates the book within the current political climate and discusses other alternatives beyond epistocracy,
Against Democracy is a challenging critique of democracy and the first sustained defense of the rule of the knowledgeable.
Audiobook details
GenrePhilosophy, Politics and Government
Length10 hrs 54 mins
Narrated byChristopher Ragland
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateFeb 21, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Opening Anno, Preface to the 2017 Paperback Edition
8Chapter 4 - Continued
2Preface and Acknowledgments
9Chapter 5 - Politics Is Not a Poem
3Chapter 1 - Hobbits and Hooligans
10Chapter 6 - The Right to Competent Government
4Chapter 2 - Ignorant, Irrational, Misinformed Nationalists
11Chapter 7, Is Democracy Competent
5Chapter 2 - Continued
12Chapter 7 - Continued
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter 3 - Political Participation Corrupts
13Chapter 8 - The Rule of the Knowers
7Chapter 4 - Politics Doesn't Empower You or Me
14Chapter 9 - Civil Enemies , Closing Anno
Feeling Is The SecretNeville Goddard44m$2 · $0.00
The Way to a Beautiful WorldJames Norbury44m$9 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Friedrich NietzscheFriedrich Nietzsche92h$2 · $0.00
The Practicing StoicWard Farnsworth9h 56m$20
Moral Letters to LuciliusLucius Annaeus Seneca25h 38m$2 · $0.00
Tâo Teh KingLaozi2h 38m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Essays of MontaigneMichel de Montaigne45h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Origin of OthersToni Morrison2h 25m$20
The LawFrédéric Bastiat2h 7m$10
IlluminationsWalter Benjamin10h 12m$20 · $0.00
Buddhist Boot CampTimber Hawkeye2h 39m$18 · $0.00
The DhammapadaFriedrich Max Müller1h 30m$15
Change Your MindRJ Spina7h 5m$17
The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius AntoninusEmperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius6h 17m$2 · $0.00
Tao Te ChingLao Tzu1h 25m$2 · $0.00
Tao Te ChingStephen Mitchell, Lao Tzu1h 42m$16 · $0.00
Everyday DharmaSuneel Gupta5h 2m$20 · $0.00
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on LoveMartin Luther King10h 2m$29 · $0.00
The KybalionThree Initiates3h 47m$2.30
The Collected Works of Immanuel KantImmanuel Kant83h 35m$2 · $0.00
I've Been to the MountaintopMartin Luther King48m5 (1)$11 · $0.00
HostageEli Sharabi5h 25m$24 · $0.00
Pardon of Innocencethe Author, Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn (Ret.)6h 23m$23
Unbroken Bonds of BattleJohnny Joey Jones8h 31m$8 · $0.00
On Democracies and Death CultsDouglas Murray10h 38m$29 · $0.00
Legally YoursManasi Chaudhari8h 52m$29 · $0.00
Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir - Israel, Palestine and BeyondJohn Lyons12h 37m$33 · $0.00
RiggedMollie Hemingway12h 48m$23 · $0.00
The Thomas Sowell ReaderThomas Sowell14h 51m$25
SledgehammerDavid Friedman8h 21m$26 · $0.00
So You Want to Talk about RaceIjeoma Oluo7h 41m$17
No EscapeNury Turkel9h 30m$28 · $0.00
In Defense of the Second AmendmentLarry Correia6h 50m$17
UnthinkableJamie Raskin15h 8m$8 · $0.00
The ManbookNick Freitas5h 43m$24 · $0.00
My Fourth Time, We DrownedSally Hayden13h 59m$23 · $0.00
A Revolution of Common SenseScott Jennings9h 29m$29 · $0.00
Lessons from the EdgeMarie Yovanovitch17h 11m$40 · $0.00
The Essential Works of George OrwellGeorge Orwell115h 42m$1 · $0.00
To Rescue the American SpiritBret Baier10h 12m$8 · $0.00
You may also like
Shift Your MindBrian Levenson7h 42m$18 · $0.00
Overcoming Top Sales ObjectionsMade for Success3h 13m$14
The Articulate AttorneyBrian K. Johnson, Marsha Hunter5h 55m$19.70 · $0.00
Three Leadership Secrets RevealedDawn Jones34m$8
The Intelligent InvestorBenjamin Graham2h 45m$18 · $0.00
Secrets of a Six Figure PtUnknown Author3h 38m$10 · $0.00
The Entrepreneur EquationCarol Roth9h 38m$20
Freedom of the WillJonathan Edwards9h 22m$20
What Is Marketing and Sales?Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Dr. Larry Iverson, Bryan Heathman7h 52m$20
Choose PossibilitySukhinder Singh Cassidy7h 33m$26 · $0.00
StoryRobert McKee6h 13m$24 · $0.00
AlchemyRory Sutherland9h 38m$29 · $0.00
The Master Key SystemCharles F. Haanel6h 33m$4 · $0.00
Farnsworth’s Classical English StyleWard Farnsworth5h 34m$17
Darwin’s House of CardsTom Bethell8h 57m$20 · $0.00
How to Master the Art of Selling Anything ProgramTom Hopkins10h 28m$25
ConflictedIan Leslie7h 52m$26 · $0.00
The Academy of Master ClosingTom Hopkins7h 45m$40
Split the PieBarry Nalebuff8h 43m$26 · $0.00
Aesthetic IntelligencePauline Brown6h 57m$24 · $0.00