Synopsis
A skeptical account of democracy arguing that the all-knowing, attentive public assumed by democratic theory does not actually exist.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted workThe sovereign public is a phantom, since ordinary citizens lack the time and knowledge to direct the countless decisions of government.
It punctures the ideal of an omnicompetent citizenry, forcing democratic theory to reckon with what voters can realistically do.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with Robert Dahl, Polyarchy.
Reading note
Read Lippmann as a chastened realist, asking whether his modest account of the public is sober wisdom or an excuse for elite rule.
Best paired with
Robert Dahl, Polyarchy