- Tyranny of the Minority (UPPER DUBLIN LIBRARY)Upper Dublin Public Library, Fort Washington, PA
We will discuss some ideas from the book, Tyranny of the Minority, by two Harvard professors, Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky. They assess the state of democracy in America and offer some solutions for a more democratic future. The book examines historic causes of anti-democratic practices, including some compromises they say are baked into the Constitution. But they also praised the many laws and amendments that gradually extended democratic rights to most of our people. The authors are optimistic that democracy will survive, whoever wins the 2024 elections, but they are worried that the quality of democracy may continue to decline unless we adopt some reforms.
You do not need to read the book to participate in this discussion because the topics we will discuss are presented in an hour-long video interview of the authors. You can find it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vogRYyqgeaQ/t=755s. Specific proposed electoral, judicial, and congressional reforms are presented near the end of the interview. Also check out the authors' responses to some good questions raised by Harvard students at the end of the video.
Levitsky and Ziblatt also wrote How Democracies Die, based on their extensive studies of Latin American and European democracies that have fallen into the hands of populist dictators – not through violence or military coups – but through democratic elections.
We will talk about the state of U.S. democracy. Is our democracy in a state of crisis, as many Democrats are warning? How do the rights and freedoms of Americans compare to citizens of other democratic countries? Do you agree with the authors that the Republican minority is able to win elections because of weaknesses in our laws, rules, and Constitution?
Here is a partial list of Levitsky’s and Ziblatt’s recommended reforms. Some of them appear to be reasonable, some practical, some radical, and maybe some impossible. What do you think?
- Direct national election of president; abolish the Electoral College
- Proportional allotment of Senate seats based on state population
- Eliminate the Senate filibuster and other undemocratic rules
- Term limits (12 or 18 years) and/or age limits for Supreme Court and federal judges
- Change ratification of constitutional amendments from 3/4 to 2/3 of the states
- Constitutional amendment for universal right to vote
- Automatic voter registration at age 18 and issue national voter ID cards
- Hold all federal elections on Sundays or holidays
- Increase the number of representatives in the House
- Eliminate gerrymandered congressional districts
- Establish nonpartisan administrators to supervise elections
- Re-establish federal court oversight of state election practices
- Expand early voting and mail voting
- Restore voting rights to ex-felons
- Comprehensivist Wednesdays: Epicurus - A Counterpoint to PlatoLink visible for attendees
Join us for a deep dive into the teachings of Epicurus, guided by the account of his teachings from Diogenes Laertius. We'll explore Epicurus' philosophical views and will contrast them with our study of Plato's dialogues.
In contrast to Plato's idealism, which emphasizes a realm of abstract forms and rational thought as the path to truth, Epicurus' philosophy is grounded in sensory experience and the pursuit of simple, natural pleasures. This discussion will highlight the contrasts between Epicurean materialism and Platonic metaphysics, offering insights into two radically different paths to happiness and the good life.
By way of preparation - feel free to read Book X in Diogenes Laertius "Lives of Eminent Philosophers" (the section on Epicureans).
Every fourth Wednesday Phil will introduce us to works on Language, Psychology and History.
Welcome to the series "Comprehensivist Wednesdays". Transdisciplinarity, Renaissance humanism, homo universalis, and Polymathy are some of the ways of describing this approach which Buckminster Fuller called Comprehensivity and described as “macro-comprehensive and micro-incisive.”
See the calendar at https://www.meetup.com/52LivingIdeas/events/calendar/
A Meetup Every Day, Every Week, For Everyone!Every Weekday at 8pm ET
We record all our Meetups and post them on YouTube. Feel free to keep your video on or off as you prefer. Watch Past Meetups here.
