A Book by Danny Oppenheimer and Mike Edwards

Available in paperback in September 2013!

Democracy, like many other organizations and systems, is filled to the brim with flawed and irrational people. Democracy Despite Itself explains, with clever arguments, how we are able to transcend these limitations and harness them to our benefit through a perfectly imperfect democratic system.

— Dan Ariely, James B Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics, Duke University; Author of The Honest Truth About Dishonesty and Predictably Irrational

A provocative meditation on a profound question: why does democracy work—at all—when voters are so often irrational? In lucid prose filled with compelling examples, Oppenheimer and Edwards grapple with one of the deepest questions society faces: how to organize itself, in light of the inherent frailty of the human mind.

— Gary Marcus, Professor of Psychology, New York University; Author of Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of The Human Mind

Book summary and sample chapters

 

  • RSS Authors’ writing at Huffington Post

    • Italy's Democratic Triumph March 1, 2013
      In the real world, the alternative to this "chaotic" election isn't a business-friendly utopia; it's weeks of rioting shutting down Rome, or even worse, the Arab Spring. So who cares if the Italian people voted for the 'wrong' parties? […]
    • The Means Are All Important December 7, 2012
      They believe America really will be better off in a very fundamental way if their candidate wins. When held against that, what is the harm in a few inconvenienced voters? Except there is a reason that cheating is bad. […]

  • RSS From the Authors’ Blog at leftfielder.org

    • A Tale of Three Scandals May 16, 2013
      There are three “scandals” supposedly “rocking” the White House this week.  Really, I think it just goes to show how silly we all are. The first, and oldest, of these scandals is Benghazi.  Four Americans were killed, including the Ambassador to Libya, when an Al Qaeda affiliate attacked a diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya in […]
      Mike
    • Sympathy for the Dzhokhar April 23, 2013
      Apparently I have something in common with the nation’s latest terrorist; we both love going to the Midwest Grill, a Brazilian BBQ Restaurant in my (our?) neighborhood.  We were also both captains of our respective high school wrestling teams and members of the National Honor Society.  His friends from high school talked about him going out of […]
      Mike