Active And Passive Citizens - Richard Tuck

A Powerful Case For Why Majority Rulenot Representationis The Defining Feature Of Democratic Politicsthe Idea That Democratic Governance Rests On Active Self-rule By Citizens Plays Surprisingly Little Part In Current Theories Of Democracy, Which Instead Stress The Importance Of Representation By Elected, Appointed, Or Randomly Selected Bodies Such As Legislatures, Courts, And Juries. This Would Have Astonished Eighteenth-century Theorists Of Democracy, Who Viewed Universal Suffrage And Majoritarian Voting As The Sole Criteria For Democratic Politics. Active And Passive Citizens Defends The View Of These Earlier Thinkers, Asserting That Individual Agency Is The Very Essence Of Democracy.