Democracy is in crisis. In every major company it has been stole by elites or in the hands of strong men. In democracy’s name we see a raft of policies that spread inequality and xenophobia worldwide. It is clear  that democracy -  the principle of government by and for the  people - is not living up to its promise.

In fact, real democracy- inclusive and egalitarian - has in fact never existed. In this urgent and engaging book, Astra Taylor invites us to  re-examine the term. Is democracy a means or an end? A process or a set  of desired outcomes? What if the those outcomes, whatever they may  be - peace, prosperity, equality, liberty, an engaged citizenry - can be  achieved by non-democratic means? Or if an election leads to a terrible  outcome? If democracy means rule by the people, what does it mean to  rule and who counts as the people? The inherent paradoxes are too often unnamed and unrecognized. But to ignore them is no longer possible.

Democracy May Not Exist, but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone offers a better understanding of what is possible, what we want, and why democracy is so hard to realize.