"Democracy is more a verb than a noun" (pg. 68)
Stars: 4/5
Dr. West, once again, wants you to think critically about the societal ills of today and how we, as a populace, can arm ourselves with the necessary knowledge to rectify the situation. In Democracy Matters, he describes three prevailing trends in today's world that threaten democracy: free market fundamentalism, aggressive militarism and escalating authoritarianism. Upon further reading, you will be hard-put in countering his rational for these trends.
Dr. West contends that the "..insidious growth..." of nihilism has been "... suffocating the democratic energies of America" and offers three compelling antidotes to restore that deep democratic energy: Socratic questioning, Prophetic witness and Tragicomic hope. You will find these themes run throughout the text including chapters on Christian identity in America and engaging America's youth.
Dr. West suggests that in the tradition of Emerson, Baldwin, Melville and Morrison, visionaries who possessed democratic acuity, we re-energize ourselves, move collectively against the antidemocratic dogmas, question motives of the corporate elite, and not acquiescence in the face of the status quo.
I believe Democracy Matters is worthy of at least four stars despite the fact that, in the chapter regarding the engagement of America's youth, Dr West digresses by reviewing the ordeal that transpired between himself and Harvard president, Larry Summers. All in all, Dr. West's discourse on democracy is relevant, insightful and thought-provoking.
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