Globalizing the Intellectual History of Democracy
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Interview in Brief
Samuel Moyn provides insight into how the history of democracy can continue its globalization. There is a growing belief that the currently acceptable fund of ideas has not served the recent past well which is why an expansion, a planetary one, of democracy's ideas is necessary – especially now as we move deeper into the shadow of declining American/Western imperialism and ideology. Deciding which of democracy's intellectual traditions to privilege is driven by a mix of forced necessity and choice: finding salient ground for democracy is likely only possible in poisoned traditions including European ones.
Contributor Notes
Samuel Moyn is Henry R. Luce Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School, Professor of History at Yale University and fellow of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Recent publications include “The Court is Not Your Friend” in Dissent (2020) and Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal World published by Harvard University Press (2018). Areas of research interest include 20th century European moral and political theory but also international law, human rights, the law of war, and legal thought in both historical and current perspectives. E-mail: samuel.moyn@yale.edu
Jean-Paul Gagnon is senior lecturer in democracy studies at the University of Canberra and faculty affiliate of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance. Jean-Paul edits the Berghahn (Oxford, New York) journal Democratic Theory and the Palgrave Macmillan book series on the Theories, Concepts and Practices of Democracy which has just published its 12th title. He directs the fledgling Foundation for the Philosophy of Democracy (141006.io/ http://tiny.cc/5g8siz). ORCID: