The Importance of a Philosophical Public

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I think that because we're so most of us in this country, you know, grew up in a democracy, we tend to forget or at least underestimate how philosophically radical this idea is. So philosophy should be part of that. You can't have democracy and not aspire to have a philosophical publicBecause democracy has no, there is no barrier to entry, right? It shouldn't be based on the color of your skin, how much money is in your bank account or what school you went to. It's like, sorry, we can have a part of it. There's no way around.

“Democracy may not exist, but we’ll miss it when it’s gone” — or so suggests the title of Astra Taylor’s new book. We all know how democracy falls short, in practice, of its lofty ideals; but we can also appreciate how democratic values are crucial in the fight for a more just society. In this conversation, we dig into the nature of democracy, from its origins to the present day. We talk about who gets to participate, how economic inequality affects political inequality, and how democratic ideals manifest themselves in any number of real-world situations.

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Astra Taylor is a filmmaker, author, and activist. Her documentary films include Zizek!, The Examined Life, and most recently What Is Democracy? Her books include The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital age and the new Democracy May Not Exist, But We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone. She has taught sociology at the university level, and written for publications from n+1 to The London Review of Books. She was active in the Occupy movement, and is a co-founder of the Debt Collective.