Against the Masses: Varieties of Anti-Democratic Thought Since the French Revolution

by Joseph V. Femia

Given the assumption that democracy is a "good thing," the goal of humankind, it is easy to forget that "rule by the people" has been vehemently opposed by some of the most distinguished thinkers in the Western tradition. This book attempts to combat collective amnesia by systematically exploring and evaluating anti-democratic thought since the French Revolution.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2001

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author does a good job of presenting the anti-democratic varieties of thought. I am only disapointed that none of them match my own criticisms on democracy. Most of the time, the very definition of democracy, that is, what the critics imagine democracy to mean, is the source of the criticism and of confusion. Little was, then, accomplished towards criticizing democracy as it is actually implemented, as Femia correctly points out.
I give the book three stars, since I consider that Femia took too much liberty with assessing the anti-democratic criticisms. I think the author could have been more objective and not reveal his own opinion on the matter,