The Intelligence of Democracy

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Publisher : New York : Free Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The Intelligence of Democracy by : Charles Edward Lindblom

Download or read book The Intelligence of Democracy written by Charles Edward Lindblom and published by New York : Free Press. This book was released on 1965 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Intelligence of Democracy

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis The Intelligence of Democracy by :

Download or read book The Intelligence of Democracy written by and published by . This book was released on 1965 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Democratic Reason

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Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691155658
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis Democratic Reason by : Hélène Landemore

Download or read book Democratic Reason written by Hélène Landemore and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Individual decision making can often be wrong due to misinformation, impulses, or biases. Collective decision making, on the other hand, can be surprisingly accurate. In Democratic Reason, Hélène Landemore demonstrates that the very factors behind the superiority of collective decision making add up to a strong case for democracy. She shows that the processes and procedures of democratic decision making form a cognitive system that ensures that decisions taken by the many are more likely to be right than decisions taken by the few. Democracy as a form of government is therefore valuable not only because it is legitimate and just, but also because it is smart. Landemore considers how the argument plays out with respect to two main mechanisms of democratic politics: inclusive deliberation and majority rule. In deliberative settings, the truth-tracking properties of deliberation are enhanced more by inclusiveness than by individual competence. Landemore explores this idea in the contexts of representative democracy and the selection of representatives. She also discusses several models for the "wisdom of crowds" channeled by majority rule, examining the trade-offs between inclusiveness and individual competence in voting. When inclusive deliberation and majority rule are combined, they beat less inclusive methods, in which one person or a small group decide. Democratic Reason thus establishes the superiority of democracy as a way of making decisions for the common good.

Intelligence as Democratic Statecraft

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192646184
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (926 download)

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Book Synopsis Intelligence as Democratic Statecraft by : Christian Leuprecht

Download or read book Intelligence as Democratic Statecraft written by Christian Leuprecht and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-08-26 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book features a comparative study in intelligence accountability and governance across the Five Eyes: the imperative for member countries of the world's most powerful intelligence alliance to reconcile democracy and security through transparent standards, guidelines, legal frameworks, executive directives, and international law. It argues that intelligence accountability is best understood not as an end in itself but as a means that is integral democratic governance. On the one hand, to assure the executive of government and the public that the activities of intelligence agencies are lawful and, if not, to identify breaches in compliance. On the other hand, to raise awareness of and appreciation for the intelligence function, and whether it is being carried out in the most effective, efficient, and innovative way possible to achieve its objective. The analysis shows how the addition of legislative and judicial components to executive and administrative accountability has been shaping evolving institutions, composition, practices, characteristics, and cultures of intelligence oversight and review in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand using a most-similar systems design. Democracies are engaged in an asymmetric struggle against unprincipled adversaries. Technological change is enabling unprecedented social and political disruption. These threat vectors have significantly affected, altered, and expanded the role, powers and capabilities of intelligence organizations. Accountability aims to reassure sceptics that intelligence and security practices are indeed aligned with the rules and values that democracies claim to defend.

Reforming Intelligence

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Publisher : University of Texas Press
ISBN 13 : 0292783418
Total Pages : 410 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (927 download)

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Book Synopsis Reforming Intelligence by : Thomas C. Bruneau

Download or read book Reforming Intelligence written by Thomas C. Bruneau and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2009-04-20 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These days, it's rare to pick up a newspaper and not see a story related to intelligence. From the investigations of the 9/11 commission, to accusations of illegal wiretapping, to debates on whether it's acceptable to torture prisoners for information, intelligence—both accurate and not—is driving domestic and foreign policy. And yet, in part because of its inherently secretive nature, intelligence has received very little scholarly study. Into this void comes Reforming Intelligence, a timely collection of case studies written by intelligence experts, and sponsored by the Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR) at the Naval Postgraduate School, that collectively outline the best practices for intelligence services in the United States and other democratic states. Reforming Intelligence suggests that intelligence is best conceptualized as a subfield of civil-military relations, and is best compared through institutions. The authors examine intelligence practices in the United States, United Kingdom, and France, as well as such developing democracies as Brazil, Taiwan, Argentina, and Russia. While there is much more data related to established democracies, there are lessons to be learned from states that have created (or re-created) intelligence institutions in the contemporary political climate. In the end, reading about the successes of Brazil and Taiwan, the failures of Argentina and Russia, and the ongoing reforms in the United States yields a handful of hard truths. In the murky world of intelligence, that's an unqualified achievement.

US National Security, Intelligence and Democracy

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134064446
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (34 download)

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Book Synopsis US National Security, Intelligence and Democracy by : Russell A. Miller

Download or read book US National Security, Intelligence and Democracy written by Russell A. Miller and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-07 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the investigation by the 1975 Senate Select Committee (‘Church Committee’) into US intelligence abuses during the Cold War, and considers its lessons for the current ‘war on terror’. This report remains the most thorough public record of America’s intelligence services, and many of the legal boundaries operating on US intelligence agencies today are the direct result of reforms proposed by the Church Committee, including the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Church Committee also drew attention to the importance of constitutional government as a Congressional body overseeing the activities of the Executive branch. Placing the legacy of the Church Committee in the context of the contemporary debate over US national security and democratic governance, the book brings together contributions from distinguished policy leaders and scholars of law, intelligence and political science.

The Conduct of Intelligence in Democracies

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Publisher : Lynne Rienner Publishers
ISBN 13 : 9781626377691
Total Pages : 285 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (776 download)

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Book Synopsis The Conduct of Intelligence in Democracies by : Florina Cristiana Matei

Download or read book The Conduct of Intelligence in Democracies written by Florina Cristiana Matei and published by Lynne Rienner Publishers. This book was released on 2019 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Tao of Democracy

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Publisher : North Atlantic Books
ISBN 13 : 1583946187
Total Pages : 302 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (839 download)

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Book Synopsis The Tao of Democracy by : Tom Atlee

Download or read book The Tao of Democracy written by Tom Atlee and published by North Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2014-05-13 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Tao of Democracy presents an increasingly relevant and compelling vision of wiser public policy and vibrant democratic culture. Written by lifelong activist Tom Atlee, The Tao of Democracy is rooted in a simple, yet revolutionary proposition that opens doors to positive democratic change: Given a supportive structure and resources, diverse ordinary people can work together to achieve common ground. Tom Atlee takes readers through numerous examples of how this proposition has been tested and proven hundreds of times around the world in diverse and innovative forms of public conversation. • In Oregon, a nonprofit involved thousands of ordinary citizens in in-depth conversations about how to best use limited health care funds; the result was a mandate by the state legislature to use such community meetings to guide state health care decisions. • In Toronto, Canada, a group of a dozen people widely divergent political views created, over the course of one weekend, a consensus vision for improving the nation as a whole—a feat that parliamentary committees, focus groups, and millions of dollars in funds had been unable to achieve. • In Andhra Pradesh, India, twenty farmers participated in a prajateerpu or citizens’ jury, listening to testimony and cross-examining experts (including international government officials) in order to present the World Bank with practical proposals for managing the state’s agriculture systems. Ideal for community organizers, nonprofit workers, policymakers, and elected officials, The Tao of Democracy illuminates new forms of collective citizenship that can help us achieve creative consensus without compromise, addressing the diversity and complexity of our society while preserving and utilizing our precious individuality. “Tom Atlee paints a vision not of some distant, ideal democracy but of here-and-now practices showing us what’s possible in our immediate future. An important gift for our small, challenged planet!”—Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet and EcoMind TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Section I: An Overview of Co-Intelligence 1. What Is Co-Intelligence? 2. Tales and Commentaries 3. Wholeness, Interconnectedness, and Co-Creativity 4. Resonant Intelligence Section II: Making a Whole Difference Together 5. Reaching Beyond Adversarial Activism 6. Collective Intelligence 7. Ways to Have Real Dialogue 8. Other Approaches to Co-Intelligence 9. The List Goes On… Section III: Creating a Wise Democracy 10. Democracy and Wholeness 11. Cooperative and Holistic Politics 12. The Canadian Experiment 13. Citizens Deliberate about Public Issues 14. Citizen Deliberative Councils Section IV: Citizenship toward a Wiser Civilization 15. Citizenship Meets Complexxity 16. More Approaches to Deliberative Democracy 17. The Emerging Culture of Dialogue 18. Consensus: Manipluation or Magic? 19. Co-Intelligent Citizenship and Activism 20. The Tao of Democracy Epilogue What You Can Do Bibliography Index

Democratic Reason

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Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691176396
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis Democratic Reason by : Hélène Landemore

Download or read book Democratic Reason written by Hélène Landemore and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Individual decision making can often be wrong due to misinformation, impulses, or biases. Collective decision making, on the other hand, can be surprisingly accurate. In Democratic Reason, Hélène Landemore demonstrates that the very factors behind the superiority of collective decision making add up to a strong case for democracy. She shows that the processes and procedures of democratic decision making form a cognitive system that ensures that decisions taken by the many are more likely to be right than decisions taken by the few. Democracy as a form of government is therefore valuable not only because it is legitimate and just, but also because it is smart. Landemore considers how the argument plays out with respect to two main mechanisms of democratic politics: inclusive deliberation and majority rule. In deliberative settings, the truth-tracking properties of deliberation are enhanced more by inclusiveness than by individual competence. Landemore explores this idea in the contexts of representative democracy and the selection of representatives. She also discusses several models for the "wisdom of crowds" channeled by majority rule, examining the trade-offs between inclusiveness and individual competence in voting. When inclusive deliberation and majority rule are combined, they beat less inclusive methods, in which one person or a small group decide. Democratic Reason thus establishes the superiority of democracy as a way of making decisions for the common good.

Democracy and Tradition

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Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400825865
Total Pages : 367 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Democracy and Tradition by : Jeffrey Stout

Download or read book Democracy and Tradition written by Jeffrey Stout and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-02-09 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do religious arguments have a public role in the post-9/11 world? Can we hold democracy together despite fractures over moral issues? Are there moral limits on the struggle against terror? Asking how the citizens of modern democracy can reason with one another, this book carves out a controversial position between those who view religious voices as an anathema to democracy and those who believe democratic society is a moral wasteland because such voices are not heard. Drawing inspiration from Whitman, Dewey, and Ellison, Jeffrey Stout sketches the proper role of religious discourse in a democracy. He discusses the fate of virtue, the legacy of racism, the moral issues implicated in the war on terrorism, and the objectivity of ethical norms. Against those who see no place for religious reasoning in the democratic arena, Stout champions a space for religious voices. But against increasingly vocal antiliberal thinkers, he argues that modern democracy can provide a moral vision and has made possible such moral achievements as civil rights precisely because it allows a multitude of claims to be heard. Stout's distinctive pragmatism reconfigures the disputed area where religious thought, political theory, and philosophy meet. Charting a path beyond the current impasse between secular liberalism and the new traditionalism, Democracy and Tradition asks whether we have the moral strength to continue as a democratic people as it invigorates us to retrieve our democratic virtues from very real threats to their practice.

Intelligent Democracy

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0197767281
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (977 download)

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Book Synopsis Intelligent Democracy by : JONATHAN. BENSON

Download or read book Intelligent Democracy written by JONATHAN. BENSON and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2024-06-05 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether due to Donald Trump, Brexit, or the rise of populism, many are increasingly questioning the value of democracy. Complaints of ignorant voters, irrational public debate, and disconnected politicians have led some to suggest that democracies are destined to make bad decisions, and to propose alternatives. In Intelligent Democracy, political theorist Jonathan Benson rejects this new democratic scepticism. He argues that democracies can make effective use of knowledge, engage in experimentation, utilise diversity, and motivate decisions towards the common good-and that they can do all these things better than their rivals. Benson pleads that we value democracy, not only because it treats us all equally, but because it is intelligent. At the core of the book is the first systemic account of democracy's epistemic value. While it is common to focus on the faults of any one democratic body, Benson argues that democracy represents a much broader network of institutions which work together to produce a system which is more intelligent than any of its parts. The book examines how elections, deliberative assemblies, random sortition, and the open public sphere can be best connected, and offers innovative new proposals for improving our democratic systems. Through this approach, Benson shows that democracy is superior to regimes of epistocracy and political meritocracy which aim to empower the knowledgeable and exclude the ignorant, as well as proposals for granting greater powers to free markets or private companies. Drawing on work from political science, philosophy, and economics, Intelligent Democracy produces a unique epistemic justification of democratic politics and a robust answer to its critics.

The Artificial Intelligence Contagion

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Author :
Publisher : SCB Distributors
ISBN 13 : 0999874780
Total Pages : 341 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis The Artificial Intelligence Contagion by : David Barnhizer

Download or read book The Artificial Intelligence Contagion written by David Barnhizer and published by SCB Distributors. This book was released on 2019-05-01 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Artificial Intelligence/Robotics: Have we opened a Pandora's Box? As AI/robotics eliminates jobs across the spectrum, governmental revenues will plummet while the debt increases dramatically. This crisis of limited resources on all levels—underfunded or non-existent pensions, health problems, lack of savings, and job destruction without comparable job creation—will drive many into homelessness and produce a dramatic rise in violence as we fight over shrinking resources. “Ambitious, deeply researched, and far reaching in its scope and conclusions, Contagion is actually several books in one. Its summary of what AI is and will likely become is a standalone revelation. It also offers a critique of socio-economic ripple effects that verge on dystopian, and essays and “case studies” of specific sectors or regions, notably a chapter on China’s fusion of AI and social control.” JEFF LONG, New York Times Best-selling Author “A sobering look at the far-reaching impact that artificial intelligence may have on the economy, the workforce, democracy and all of humanity. The Artificial Intelligence Contagion is a bellwether for anyone seeking to comprehend the global disruption coming our way.” —DAVID COOPER, President and Technologist , Massive Designs “We see in the rush to develop AI the arrogance of the human species. Often buried by the exuberance over what AI might do is the massive dislocation it can cause. David and Daniel Barnhizer masterfully lead us through the societal challenges AI poses and offer possible solutions that will enable us to survive the AI contagion.” —KENNETH A. GRADY, Member, Advisory Boards, Elevate Services, Inc., MDR Lab, and LARI Ltd. This may be "the scariest book ever".

Cyber Republic

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Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262360128
Total Pages : 215 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (623 download)

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Book Synopsis Cyber Republic by : George Zarkadakis

Download or read book Cyber Republic written by George Zarkadakis and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2020-09-22 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science and tech expert George Zarkadakis presents an indispensable guide to making liberal democracies more inclusive, and the digital economy more equitable in the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution. Around the world, liberal democracies are in crisis. Citizens have lost faith in their government; right-wing nationalist movements frame the political debate. At the same time, economic inequality is increasing dramatically; digital technologies have created a new class of super-rich entrepreneurs. Automation threatens to transform the free economy into a zero-sum game in which capital wins and labor loses. But is this digital dystopia inevitable? In Cyber Republic, George Zarkadakis presents an alternative, outlining a plan for using technology to make liberal democracies more inclusive and the digital economy more equitable. Cyber Republic is no less than a guide for the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Data Democracy

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Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 : 9780128183663
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (836 download)

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Book Synopsis Data Democracy by : Feras A. Batarseh

Download or read book Data Democracy written by Feras A. Batarseh and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-01-28 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a manifesto to data democracy. After reading the chapters of this book, you are informed and suitably warned! You are already part of the data republic, and you (and all of us) need to ensure that our data fall in the right hands. Everything you click, buy, swipe, try, sell, drive, or fly is a data point. But who owns the data? At this point, not you! You do not even have access to most of it. The next best empire of our planet is one who owns and controls the world's best dataset. If you consume or create data, if you are a citizen of the data republic (willingly or grudgingly), and if you are interested in making a decision or finding the truth through data-driven analysis, this book is for you. A group of experts, academics, data science researchers, and industry practitioners gathered to write this manifesto about data democracy. - The future of the data republic, life within a data democracy, and our digital freedoms. - An in-depth analysis of open science, open data, open source software, and their future challenges. - A comprehensive review of data democracy's implications within domains such as: healthcare, space exploration, earth sciences, business, and psychology. - The democratization of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and data issues such as: bias, imbalance, context, and knowledge extraction. - A systematic review of AI methods applied to software engineering problems.

How Democracies Die

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Author :
Publisher : Crown
ISBN 13 : 1524762946
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (247 download)

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Book Synopsis How Democracies Die by : Steven Levitsky

Download or read book How Democracies Die written by Steven Levitsky and published by Crown. This book was released on 2019-01-08 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Comprehensive, enlightening, and terrifyingly timely.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) WINNER OF THE GOLDSMITH BOOK PRIZE • SHORTLISTED FOR THE LIONEL GELBER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Time • Foreign Affairs • WBUR • Paste Donald Trump’s presidency has raised a question that many of us never thought we’d be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang—in a revolution or military coup—but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one. Drawing on decades of research and a wide range of historical and global examples, from 1930s Europe to contemporary Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, to the American South during Jim Crow, Levitsky and Ziblatt show how democracies die—and how ours can be saved. Praise for How Democracies Die “What we desperately need is a sober, dispassionate look at the current state of affairs. Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, two of the most respected scholars in the field of democracy studies, offer just that.”—The Washington Post “Where Levitsky and Ziblatt make their mark is in weaving together political science and historical analysis of both domestic and international democratic crises; in doing so, they expand the conversation beyond Trump and before him, to other countries and to the deep structure of American democracy and politics.”—Ezra Klein, Vox “If you only read one book for the rest of the year, read How Democracies Die. . . .This is not a book for just Democrats or Republicans. It is a book for all Americans. It is nonpartisan. It is fact based. It is deeply rooted in history. . . . The best commentary on our politics, no contest.”—Michael Morrell, former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (via Twitter) “A smart and deeply informed book about the ways in which democracy is being undermined in dozens of countries around the world, and in ways that are perfectly legal.”—Fareed Zakaria, CNN

Imagining the Future: Science and American Democracy (Easyread Large Edition)

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Author :
Publisher : ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN 13 : 1458763544
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (587 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining the Future: Science and American Democracy (Easyread Large Edition) by : Yuval Levin

Download or read book Imagining the Future: Science and American Democracy (Easyread Large Edition) written by Yuval Levin and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From stem cell research to global warming, human cloning, evolution, and beyond, political debates about science in recent years have fallen into the familiar categories of America's culture wars. Imagining the Future explores the meaning of science and technology in American politics today. The science debates, Yuval Levin argues, expose the deepest strengths and greatest weaknesses of both the left and the right, and present serious challenges to American democratic self-government. What do arguments about embryos, climate, or the origins of man reveal about contemporary America? Why do issues involving science seem to divide us along the same fault lines as so many other issues in our political life? Is science morally neutral, or is it an endeavor filled with moral promise - and peril? Are American conservatives really waging war on science? Is the American left justified in calling itself the party of science? Most of the science debates, Levin concludes, are not about particular theories or facts or technologies. Rather, they come down to a profound dispute between liberals and conservatives about the right way to think about the future. Science is only one subject of this broader dispute; but today's science debates can illuminate the contours of our politics and clarify the rift at the heart of our polity.

Democracy in the Dark

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Author :
Publisher : New Press, The
ISBN 13 : 162097052X
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (29 download)

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Book Synopsis Democracy in the Dark by : Frederick A. O. Schwarz

Download or read book Democracy in the Dark written by Frederick A. O. Schwarz and published by New Press, The. This book was released on 2012-05-29 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A timely and provocative book exploring the origins of the national security state and the urgent challenge of reining it in” (The Washington Post). From Dick Cheney’s man-sized safe to the National Security Agency’s massive intelligence gathering, secrecy has too often captured the American government’s modus operandi better than the ideals of the Constitution. In this important book, Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr., who was chief counsel to the US Church Committee on Intelligence—which uncovered the FBI’s effort to push Martin Luther King Jr. to commit suicide; the CIA’s enlistment of the Mafia to try to kill Fidel Castro; and the NSA’s thirty-year program to get copies of all telegrams leaving the United States—uses examples ranging from the dropping of the first atomic bomb and the Cuban Missile Crisis to Iran–Contra and 9/11 to illuminate this central question: How much secrecy does good governance require? Schwarz argues that while some control of information is necessary, governments tend to fall prey to a culture of secrecy that is ultimately not just hazardous to democracy but antithetical to it. This history provides the essential context to recent cases from Chelsea Manning to Edward Snowden. Democracy in the Dark is a natural companion to Schwarz’s Unchecked and Unbalanced, cowritten with Aziz Huq, which plumbed the power of the executive branch—a power that often depends on and derives from the use of secrecy. “[An] important new book . . . Carefully researched, engagingly written stories of government secrecy gone amiss.” —The American Prospect