First Democracy: The Challenge of an Ancient Idea

301 Pages·2006·2.42 MB·English

by  Paul Woodruff

Praise for First Democracy:The Challenge ofan Ancient Idea
“Paul Woodrufftakes us to where democracy began—as a beautiful idea—and brings us all
theway to the present moment ofperil and the challenge we face to fulfil the dream."
—Bill Moyers
“Paul Woodruffwrites with eloquence and plain truth across 2500 years ofhistory,from
Athens to America,in pursuit ofthe most powerful,most beautiful,and most elusive idea
ever devised by Man:the idea ofdemocracy."
—William Broyles Jr.,author ofBrothers in Arms:A Journey from War to Peace,
and screenwriter ofCast Awayand Apollo 13
“This book is a masterpiece.It's a heartfelt story ofthe birth,life and death ofreal democ-
racy in ancient Athens and,by implication,its country cousin in America.Woodruffdistills
the essence ofauthentic democracy and conveys that to us through a compelling narration.
He subtly compares how modern American democracy has collapsed,as did Athens,
because ofimperial overreach and betrayal ofdemocratic ideals by ambitious elites. He
correctly concludes,with a fervent hope,that America's future salvation lies in finding a way
to be true to Athens at its best."
—Ted Becker,Alumni Professor ofPolitical Science,
Auburn University,Alabama
“This elegant essay from a distinguished classicist raises fundamental questions relevant
to our contemporary political life through the prism ofthe Athenian democracy.The reader
may disagree with Woodruff's policy prescriptions—I do,myself—but one must admire
the insights and erudition ofthe analysis.It is a beautiful book."
—Philip C.Bobbitt,author ofThe Shield ofAchilles:
War,Peace,and the Course ofHistory
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First Democracy
The Challenge
of an Ancient Idea
paul woodruff
1
3
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Copyright © 2005 by Oxford University Press,Inc.
First published by Oxford University Press,Inc.,2005
198 Madison Avenue,New York,New York 10016
www.oup.com
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback,2006
ISBN-13:978-0-19-530454-1
ISBN-10:0-19-530454-3
Oxford is a registered trademark ofOxford University Press
All rights reserved.No part ofthis publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted,in any form or by any means,
electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,
without the prior permission ofOxford University Press.
The Library ofCongress has cataloged the cloth edition as follows:
Woodruff,Paul,1943–
First democracy:the challenge ofan ancient idea / Paul Woodruff
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13:978-0-19-517718-3
isbn-10:0-19-517718-5
1.Democracy—Greece—History.
2.Democracy—Greece—Athens—History.
3.Democracy—Philosophy.
I.Title.
JC75.D36W66 2005
320.938'5'09014—dc22 2004053172
Permission for the reproduction ofthe illustrations that appear in this book
was kindly granted by the artist,James Henderson Collins.
The copyright for these illustrations rests with the artist.
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
on acid-free paper
dedication
Izzy Stone leaned across the table and fixed me,through glasses
as thick as plates,with smiling eyes.“Paul,” he said,“I only hope
that when you are 72 years old,you are as happy as I am now.”
He had ordered his favorite dishes at his favorite restaurant and
watched me happily as I ate them. He had been forbidden to
touch them by his doctor.
He was happy because he was learning Greek, and he was
buying me a beautiful lunch because I had helped him along.He
had been using the library of the Center for Hellenic Studies
that year, where I was a junior fellow, writing the book that
would earn me tenure.
He learned Greek because he wanted to track down the ori-
gins of democracy. I remember his joy the day he discovered
Prometheus Bound, with its hero’s spectacular refusal to accept
tyranny.I remember,too,his fierce disappointment when he dis-
covered how little Plato makes ofthe startling defense ofdemoc-
racy that he puts in the mouth of Protagoras. Izzy could not
believe that Plato would retell “such a gorgeous story” (his
words,I think) and then let the matter drop.
His eyesight was failing,and he had enough left to write just
one more book.It was a fine one,on the trial ofSocrates,but it
did not endear him to all Plato scholars, because it neglected
some philosophical issues that bear on the vexed question of
Socrates’ attitude towards democracy. The larger book he had
vi dedication
dreamed of—the one on democracy itself—he never wrote,
though most ofits themes show up in the book on Socrates.And
he did succeed in defending Athenian democracy against the
worst allegations that had been made against it on the basis of
the trial ofSocrates.
I cannot pretend that mine is the kind ofbook he would have
written.It is too short on detective work,too long on theory,for
him.But not,I hope,too short on idealism.During the year that
I saw him almost daily,I would sometimes despair about Ameri-
can democracy,or about human educability,or about anything,
really. Then he would gently pull me back. “It should be,” he
would say,reminding me not to let my dreams be trimmed to fit
our current failures.Democracy should work,he meant.Educa-
tion shouldsupport it.And so on.
Democracy,I believe,is a dream.The ancients did not fully
realize it,and neither have we.The job ofthinkers is to keep the
dream alive,come what may.And the job ofdoers is to keep try-
ing to approximate democracy as well as circumstances will
allow.
This book,about the ancient dream and its partial realiza-
tion in Athens,is dedicated to the memory ofI.F.Stone.It may
be more than enough to repay him for a fine lunch, but it is
scant recompense for the gift of his sunny, but always unde-
ceived,idealism.
contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Maps xiv
1 Introduction:Democracy and Its Doubles 3
2 The Life and Death ofDemocracy 21
3 Freedom from Tyranny (And from Being a Tyrant) 61
4 Harmony 81
5 The Rule ofLaw (Nomos) 109
6 Natural Equality 127
7 Citizen Wisdom 145
8 Reasoning Without Knowledge 171
9 Education (Paideia) 191
10 Afterword:Are Americans Ready for Democracy? 211
Notes 233
Dates 258
Cast ofCharacters 260
Guide to the Peloponnesian War 263
Ancient Sources 265
Scholarly Works Cited 266
Index 273
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preface
Democracy is government that tries to bring a specific ideal into
practice — the ideal ofgovernment by and for the people.I call it
an ideal because I do not think it has ever been fully reflected in
an actual government.Definitions of democracy are controver-
sial in theory,and the prospect ofdemocracy in actuality is dan-
gerous to the special interests that want to take charge of gov-
ernment,and often do.
My subject in this book is democracy so conceived.Ifit is not
controversial,it is not about democracy.Ifit is not dangerous,if
it does not ask us to consider changes that frighten the estab-
lishment,it is not about democracy.As I wrote,I began to see
democracy more and more as a problem.In the main chapters of
the book I take on seven of the chief ideas behind ancient
democracy,and I discuss the classical debates about those ideas.
In my afterword I ask what relevance those ideas could have for
government in our own time.Whether democracy is possible for
us—this is a real question.Like I.F.Stone,I firmly believe that it
ought to be.But I wonder how.
I began this book on the rooftop ofa hotel in Athens,looking
across to the Parthenon, a lavish temple built by a democracy
from the profits of empire.Off to the right of it were the high
places where the democracy had done its work,the Pnyx,where
the Assembly met,and where every male citizen was invited not
only to vote but to speak.I had begun thinking about the book