© 2024 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Is Democracy Just?

www.une.edu

Thursday, December 14 at 2:00 pm

(Part one of a two-part episode)

Speaking in Maine takes us next to Portland and the University of New England for two talks.  In part one of a two-part episode, Professor Jason Brennan from Georgetown University speaks on about the fairness of democracy. In part two of the two-part episode, Professor Mark Bauerlein from Emory University speaks on “The Dumbest Generation: Young Americans in the Digital Age.”

Many people believe democracy is just not merely because it delivers the goods. They think democracy uniquely expresses the idea that all people are equal, that democracy empowers us, and that democracy is an end in itself. Brennan argues that this is a mistake. Brennan posits that democracy is merely an instrument for producing good outcomes, nothing more. It’s a flawed instrument, at that. If we can find a better functioning system, Brennan says we should feel free to use it.

Jason Brennan, Ph.D., is the Robert J. and Elizabeth Flanagan Family Chair of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at Georgetown University.  He is the author of seven books, including Against Democracy, The Ethics of Voting, and Compulsory Voting: For and Against, with Lisa Hill.

Source:  www.une.edu/calendar/2017

Music by Our Alarm Clock