Sustaining Democracy
What We Owe to the Other Side
Robert B. Talisse
Reviews and Awards
"'The democratic road,' John Dewey once wrote, 'is the hard one to take.' Robert Talisse's Sustaining Democracy is about how challenging it is to see our fellow citizens as more than their political affiliation; how difficult it is to see them as potential friends rather than the enemies their party identity might suggest; and how we struggle to honor what democracy demands, namely, that we can stand at a distance from our commitments and subject them to critical scrutiny. There is much in this book to recommend, and there is much with which to disagree. As I struggled with the text, I found myself pulled toward its truths. The question, and it has always been the question, remains: are we up to the demand that democracy places on us?" -- Melvin Rogers, Associate Professor of Political Science, Brown University
"In this heart-warming and engaging book, Robert Talisse invites us to tackle the democrat's dilemma, to stay true to our beliefs about justice while respecting our opponents as our political equals. When it comes to politics, too often we define ourselves by whom we oppose. Talisse offers us an enticing vision of how we might overcome this, a vision which includes listening closely to each other's objections but also--sometimes--stepping back from the fray of politics. This book is a wonderful response to a critical contemporary problem." -- Kimberley Brownlee, Canada Research Chair in Ethics and Political and Social Philosophy, University of British Columbia
"Imagine we wake to find depraved, angry beasts everywhere. Desperate to save our town, we form an armed militia--but we can't stop feuding over who of us is fit to fight. All that saves us is that the brutes are also attacking each other, like we are attacking ourselves. Robert Talisse diagnoses the diseases that distort how we see our political opponents--and that then set us against our allies. Talisse shows that to save our democracy we must remedy the maladies that make us see monsters everywhere." -- Leif Wenar, Olive H. Palmer Chair of Humanities, Stanford University
