David Runciman & Political Representation

On January the 6th, what started as a Trump rally in Washington DC, ended up in the violent storming of the Capitol, with, members of Congress being rushed to safety. Fuelled by the president’s words, calling the 2020 election results fraudulent, Trump’s followers took over the Capitol, shouting among other things “This is our house!” and “They work for us!” referring to the members of Congress, their representatives. Commenting on the events President-elect Joe Biden, said “The scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America, they do not represent who we are.”

The concept of political representation is not examined as often as that of democracy, but according to David Runciman, a professor and historian of political thought at the University of Cambridge, it is perhaps even more foundational to the political system we live in. So, what does it mean for elected officials to represent us? And does it matter whether they resemble the electorate? Is representative government always elitist? And what did the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes mean when he suggested the concept of "the people" is a fiction, one that doesn’t exist without representation?


This podcast is created in partnership with The Philosopher, the UK’s longest running public philosophy journal. If you’d like to read a sample of some of the best public philosophy out there, and subscribe to the journal, go to: www.thephilosopher1923.org/subscribe.

David Runciman is also host of the excellent podcast, Talking Politics: www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com
Weekly political commentary on major political events, and beyond, by Cambridge academics, like Helen Thompson, and star guests.


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