Today millions of people around the world crave freedom from authoritarian rule, yet many of them wonder if democracy is the best alternative. Some people who already live in democracies have doubts too. How, they ask, can a form of government based on endless arguments among misinformed citizens possibly manage all the challenges that bear on us today? Democracies often got things wrong, but whenever they need repairing shouldn't we, the demos, take a honest look at ourselves and reset how we think and behave? Democracy is a living, breathing thing and Erica Benner, far from being a sceptic, has spent a lifetime thinking about the role ordinary citizens play in keeping it alive. Drawing on her experiences from around the world, Erica goes back to the deep history of democracies - in ancient Rome and Athens, the American and French Revolutions, and Renaissance Florence - questioning its relevance, the role of experts, tolerance for illiberal views and relevance to today's global challenges. _________________________________________________________ ABOUT THE SPEAKER Erica Benner is a political philosopher who has taught for many years at Oxford University, the London School of Economics and Yale. Erica was born in Japan and currently lives in Berlin. She has written books on nationalism, Marx, and Machiavelli, and is interested in what classical writers can teach us about how to deal with politics today. Among her works, Be Like the Fox was selected as one of the Guardian's Best Books of 2017 and shortlisted for the 2018 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography. GOOD READS Adventures In Democracy, The turbulent world of people power (2024); Be Like The Fox, Machiavelli's lifelong quest for freedom (2017); Machiavelli's Prince: A New Reading (2013); Machiavelli's Ethics (2009); Really Existing Nationalisms (1995).