{"product_id":"active-and-passive-citizens-9780691242798","title":"Active and Passive Citizens","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA powerful case for why majority rule—not representation—is the defining feature of democratic politics\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe idea that democratic governance rests on active self-rule by citizens plays surprisingly little part in current theories of democracy, which instead stress the importance of representation by elected, appointed, or randomly selected bodies such as legislatures, courts, and juries. This would have astonished eighteenth-century theorists of democracy, who viewed universal suffrage and majoritarian voting as the sole criteria for democratic politics. \u003ci\u003eActive and Passive Citizens\u003c\/i\u003e defends the view of these earlier thinkers, asserting that individual agency is the very essence of democracy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this provocative and lucidly argued book, Richard Tuck draws on the distinction made by the Abbé Sieyès, a leading political theorist of the French Revolution, between “active” citizens (the electorate) and “passive” ones (those who are represented by the institutions of the state). Tuck traces our current representative view of democracy to Sieyès and contrasts him with Rousseau, a theorist of active self-rule by the people. Tuck argues that modern theories of democracy have effectively turned us into passive citizens and calls for a renewal of a majoritarian democracy that realizes the full potential of active citizenship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on the prestigious Tanner Lectures delivered at Princeton University’s Center for Human Values, \u003ci\u003eActive and Passive Citizens\u003c\/i\u003e is edited and introduced by Stephen Macedo and includes commentary by political theorists Simone Chambers, Joshua Cohen, John Ferejohn, and Melissa Schwartzberg.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Richard Tuck","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42960150691958,"sku":"9780691242798","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/1374\/6550\/files\/CoreSourceHub_bdfc45b6-9c33-4163-b767-50a08f875dea.jpg?v=1777153248","url":"https:\/\/ingramacademic.com\/products\/active-and-passive-citizens-9780691242798","provider":"Ingram Academic \u0026 Professional","version":"1.0","type":"link"}