Democracy for Beginners

With all the talk about "democracy" these days, it's surprising how little time is spent concentrating on the concept of democracy itself, its history and justification as a form of political governance. Democracy for Beginners looks at democracy's rich evolution in its varied forms, and at some of the challenges democracies face today.

Beginning with the rise of democracy in fifth-century Athens and ending with an exploration of what the future might hold -- for example the notion of "e-democracy"-- Democracy for Beginners is an important resource for understanding the foundation on which our country stands. Readers will become familiar with ideas advanced by democracy's advocates and architects, and by its critics, from Plato to contemporary social choice theoreticians.

Democracy for Beginners is the perfect introduction to the United States of America's founding principles.

Robert Cavalier received his BA from New York University and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Duquesne University. In 1987 he joined the staff at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Design of Educational Computing, where he became Executive Director in 1991. Dr. Cavalier was Director of CMU's Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics and Political Philosophy from 2005-2007. He is currently co-Director of Southwestern Pennsylvania Program for Deliberative Democracy.


Reuben Negrón is a visual artist who works across many fields. He is a regular contributor to the comic book anthology, Rabid Rabbit. His work has been published internationally in novels, periodicals and annuals, including Playboy, Communication Arts, and Spectrum. As a fine artist, Reuben's work has been exhibited domestically as well as abroad. He holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York. He currently lives and works in New York City.