Episode 152: Alexis de Tocqueville on Democracy in America (PEL Live!)
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Mark Linsenmayer
4.6 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 21 November 2016
⏱️ 88 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Democracy is in peril! So said Tocqueville in 1835 and 1840 when Democracy is America was published, and it's still true now. Democracy is always just one demagogue away from stripping us of our liberties, though certain structural and cultural features can make that more or less likely. He liked our volunteerism and innovation, but not so much our tendencies toward materialism and isolation and our lack of philosophical curiosity. Recorded live at Brown University 10/27/16 with audience Q&A. Watch the video!
End song: "Shot of Democracy" by Cutting Crew. Listen to Mark's interview with singer/songwriter Nick Eede on Nakedly Examined Music #10.
Transcript
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| 0:24.6 | Welcome to this afternoon's discussion and live recording of a podcast |
| 0:28.6 | by the partially examined life. |
| 0:30.7 | My name's Alan Hans. |
| 0:32.2 | This event is co-sponsored by Brown University's |
| 0:35.4 | Square Center for Public Service and the Creative Scholars Project. |
| 0:40.0 | For those who don't know, the partially examined life is a philosophy podcast |
| 0:44.7 | by some guys who are at one point set on doing philosophy for a living, |
| 0:48.4 | but then thought better of it. |
| 0:50.0 | As someone who did philosophy for a living for some time, |
| 0:53.6 | and then thought better of it, I'm a great fan of PEL, |
| 0:58.0 | and especially appreciate the combination of seriousness and levity |
| 1:02.8 | that Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan bring to the philosophical text they discuss. |
| 1:08.1 | In an era where the reading and discussion of such texts |
... |
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