Criticizing the Demos: Agonistic Leadership in Plato, Lincoln, and Mencken.

This paper explores civic illiteracy and the problem of democratic leadership -- what Alexis de Tocqueville described as the "courtier spirit" of American politicians. According to Tocqueville, the logic and mores of democratic society make it increasingly difficult to criticize or resist the decisions and views of a mass populace. Today, in the field of democratic theory, scholars of participatory democracy tend to celebrate the capacities of a properly educated citizenry, while criticizing liberalism and its tendency to view the masses as a threat in need of containment. Rather than viewing mass publics as either threats or victims, this paper approaches citizens as subjects who would benefit from the concept of agonistic leadership. Using the writings of Plato and H.L. Mencken, this project seeks to more fully understand the educatory possibilities (and political pitfalls) of outspoken criticism and critique of the demos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]