Too dumb for democracy

On the responsibility to freedom

The crisis of democracy is often equated with a crisis of politics: people are said to vote for extremist or populist parties because politicians do not address their concerns and fears. But are voters really always right? And how can we protect our democracy when the will of the voters is in part anti-democratic? To answer this question, ZEIT journalist Mark Schieritz calls in his clever book not only on politicians, but also on voters to take responsibility. A liberal democracy depends on enlightened citizens – otherwise it becomes a facade.

‘Those who vote for extremists because the train is cancelled or the baker in the village closes down are contributing to the disruption of political culture. There are alternatives. Democratic ones, too.’ Mark Schieritz