THE GREAT EXPERIMENT: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure
偉大的實驗:為什麼不同的民主國家會分崩離析以及它們能承受多少災難
內容介紹
如何使多元民主制發揮作用
我們容易忘記,民主制其實是一種相對新穎的政府體制,而多民族民主制仍然更加新穎。僅在過去的幾十年中,人口遷徙和移民的層次提高,在美國,種族隔離制的廢除帶領我們進入了一個新的時代,各個選區必須找到建立共同未來的方式。歷史上從來沒有一個民主國家成功地實現了多元化和平等,公平地對待許多不同種族或宗教群體的成員。然而,實現這一目標現在是世界各國民主項目的核心。雅斯查·蒙克(Yascha Mounk)認為,這是我們這個時代最偉大的實驗。
在《偉大的實驗》中,蒙克借鑒歷史、社會心理學和比較政治學,審視了多元化社會長期以來是如何遭受統治、分裂或結構化無政府狀態的弊病。在其中,亞沙·蒙克參考了左右派提出的主要論點,既看到了右翼轉向民粹式民族主義,也看到了越來越多對種族正義可能性的左翼悲觀主義。蒙克為那自從主張實行菁英制、跨文化交流、種族融合和愛國主義,已變得不合時宜的自由主義原則提供了令人振奮的辯護。
不同群體是否會將彼此視為敵人或朋友、陌生人或同胞,這取決於我們和我們所建立的體制。為了使多樣化的民主國家能夠持久甚至繁榮,我們需要創造一個新的世界,讓我們的先天性身份變得不那麼重要——不是因為我們忽視了美國和世界上許多其他國家仍然存在的不公平現象,而是因為我們已成功解決這些問題。
《偉大的實驗》既提供了對緊迫問題的深刻理解,也提供了我們人類解決該問題的能力的真正希望。正如蒙克所說,放棄建立公平和繁榮的多元化民主國家的前景根本不是一種選擇——這就是為什麼我們必須努力為實現我們社會的未來更雄心勃勃的願景。
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作者介紹
書評
“A rare thing: [an] academic treatise . . . that may actually have influence in the arena of practical politics. . . . Passionate and personal.” —Joe Klein,New York Times Book Review
“The fundamental argument of The Great Experiment is correct both morally and practically. Building diverse democracies is indeed hard. But, given the current composition of our societies, no alternative exists . . . A coherent and well-written call to arms.”—Martin Wolf, The Financial Times
“Mounk’s calm mix of storytelling, political theory and social psychology exegesis, peppered with some charming insights, has a comforting seriousness.” —Washington Post
“In this brave and necessary book, Yascha Mounk honestly confronts the challenges to democracy posed by diverse, multiethnic societies, while at the same time refusing to give in to fashionable pessimism. He argues that we can and should find ways to build common ground, using good-faith patriotism to build consensus. Anyone interested in the future of liberal democracy, in the US or anywhere else, should read this book.” —Anne Applebaum, staff writer for the Atlantic and Senior Fellow, SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University
“The Great Experiment confronts the intense challenges faced today by diverse societies in creating norms and institutions that allow their citizens to live peacefully with one another. It moves from insightful analysis of our current crisis to practical suggestions on how to mitigate conflicts over race and identity—a blueprint for a more optimistic future.” —Dr. Francis Fukuyama, Director of Stanford's Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy and author of The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment and The End of History and the Last Man
“A convincing, humane, and hopeful guide to the present and future by one of our foremost democratic thinkers.” —George Packer, author of The Unwinding and Last Best Hope
“Liberal democracies beat authoritarianism in the 20th century, but are growing more unstable in the 21st. In The Great Experiment, Yascha Mounk shows us our history, our psychology, our self-inflicted wounds, and our best hope for creating stable democracies that benefit from diversity. This magnificent book increases our odds of success.” —Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind andprofessor at NYU-Stern School of Business
“[A] hopeful meditation on a multicultural world . . . Writing with insight, nuance, and sympathy to all sides.” —Publishers Weekly
“Can diverse democracies flourish? The Great Experiment is a bold and necessary counter-argument to nativists, populists and pessimists.” —Helen Lewis, Staff Writer, The Atlantic
“There is . . . very much to admire, above all the author’s outspoken and lucid defence of liberal values and his condemnation of those who advocate a politics built on group identities . . . . Mounk offers a coherent and well-written call to arms. His cause is right.” —The Financial Times
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