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2009 Fall Conference

During the first years of the 21st century the United States found itself enmeshed in two costly foreign wars, dealt high-handedly with lesser powers, conducted political campaigns of increasing bitterness, and topped off the unpleasantness with an economic crash of historic proportions. During the final years of the 5th century B.C. Athens found itself enmeshed in a series of costly wars against Sparta, dealt high-handedly with lesser powers, experienced an increasingly bitter politics, and topped off the pleasantness by voting to execute its finest citizen, Socrates. Athens then and the United States now are democracies. Is there something inherent in the nature of democracies that causes them to shed restraint and leads them into folly? What brings on democratic irrationality? Under what conditions can the people rule wisely and well? These are the sorts of questions to be taken up in Democratic Irrationality: Ancient and Modern, Sept. 25-26 in Cocke Hall.

Participants

  • Gerard Alexander, Associate Professor, Department of Politics, University of Virginia
  • Tal Brewer, Associate Professor , Department in Philosophy, University of Virginia
  • Jenny Strauss Clay, Professor, Department of Classics, University of Virginia
  • Dan Devereux, Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia
  • Garrett G. Fagan, Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and History, Penn State University
  • Edwige Kacenelenbogen, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)
  • Rachana Kamtekar, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Arizona
  • George Klosko, Professor of Politics, University of Virginia
  • Loren Lomasky, Cory Professor of Political Philosophy, Policy and Law Director of the Political Philosophy, Policy and Law Program Corcoran Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia
  • Charles Mathewes, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia
  • Michael Munger, Professor of Political Science, Duke University
  • Guido Pincione, Philosophy, Bowling Green University
  • Benjamin Powell, Assistant Professor of Economics, Suffolk University
  • Dominic Scott, Professor of Philosophy, University of Virginia
  • Claudia Williamson, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Development Research Institute, New York University
Recommended readings available on reserve in:
 Department of Politics Library
Department of Philosophy Balz Library