Democracy's Choice: Books or Bumper Stickers

Stephen Carter 79 JD, William Nelson
Cromwell Professor of Law in the Yale
Law School, contends that modern
democracy is deeply bound up with
the concept of ideas as touchable and
tangible, whether carved into stone or
printed on a page. As we move away
from the printed word, we may also be
leaving behind an important part of what
makes democracy special: an understanding
that the most difficult issues
cannot be reduced to a slogan, but require
careful consideration. The more we
resort to slogans and applause lines in
short, bumper sticker conversation the
less we will be entitled to call ourselves a democracy.

This lecture was a part of the Association of Yale Alumni Reunion Weekend on Saturday, June 6, 2009.

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