Review
"'Idiosyncratic, brilliant and very original.' Paul Kennedy 'Stimulating and deft... an impressive and interesting book.' Andrew Roberts, Daily Telegraph 'John Dunn has given us a rare thing: an intellectually aristocratic book written for a profoundly democratic age.' Sunil Khilnani, Financial Times 'Dunn wears his erudition lightly and writes clearly and freshly about some of politics' most venerable questions... Blows a gust of fresh air through the cobwebbed byways of political thought' John Gray, Independent
Review
"'Rich and subtle... A masterly performance... Lucidly and provocatively written... Next time you hear the word democracy, reach for this book. If you want to think harder about democracy's shortcomings and challenges, it is an excellent place to start.' Economist 'A signal, beautifully written book... It is also a joy to read. The truth can entertain as well as make us free.' Roy Hattersley, The Times 'Exhilarating, gripping and full of mordant phrases... Magnificent.' David Marquand, New Statesman 'Remarkable.... written in a spare, incisive English style which at its best is worthy of Hobbes'. Jonathan Sumption, Spectator"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Why does democracy, both as a word and an idea, linger so large in the political imagination today? John Dunn charts its slow but insistent metamorphosis from its roots in Ancient Greece to its overwhelming triumph in the years since 1945. Setting the People Free is an account of this extraordinary idea and its evolution.
From the Publisher
At a time when countries go to war in the name of ‘democracy’, Setting the People Free is the history of this idea from revered thinker John Dunn, ‘beyond doubt the most important political theorist currently at work in England.’ (John Gray)
About the Author
John Dunn is Professor of Political Theory at King's College, Cambridge. He is the author of a number of titles, among them The Cunning of Unreason and Western Political Theory in the Face of the Future, and a fellow of the British Academy.
