A podcast featuring Dr Edward Kanterian, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, passionately defending the values of freedom and democracy in a debate entitled ‘The Worst Form of Government’, is now available on The Forum for European Philosophy at the London School of Economics (LSE) website.
The original debate was held at LSE on Wednesday 5 October 2016.
Winston Churchill famously described democracy as ‘the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried’. While not exactly a resounding endorsement, something like this sentiment is strongly held by most people in Western societies. Those who challenge it are branded ‘extremists’ or ‘ideologues’, with special suspicion reserved for those who incorporate unfamiliar cultural or religious beliefs. However, there have always been those who think alternatives to democracy are possible, and indeed preferable. So what are the philosophical arguments in favour of democracy, and do they stand up to scrutiny?
To listen to the podcast, please visit the page:
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/theforum/the-worst-form-of-government/