Anne Norton Knihy

Why “the Muslim question” is really about the West and its own anxieties—not Islam In this fearless, original book, Anne Norton demolishes the notion that there is a “clash of civilizations” between the West and Islam. What is really in question, she argues, is the West’s commitment to its own ideals: to democracy and the Enlightenment trinity of liberty, equality, and fraternity. In the most fundamental sense, the Muslim question is about the values not of Islamic, but of Western, civilization.

Wild Democracy calls for a more anarchic, more courageous democracy. This is an ethic for people who know the rights they hold, and who struggle to rule themselves. This is an ethic for pirates and rebels; an ethic for those who will not be mastered. Democracy is always a risky business; full of promise and danger. The promise is freedom. The danger is fear: fear of the unknown, fear of the unruly, fear of one another, fear of anarchy. Fear leads to authoritarianism. Anarchy leads to courage, to self-reliance, self-discipline, and self-rule. Liberals and conservatives look to institutions to control an unruly people. Anne Norton's vision of democracy turns on democratic people: on ethics, practices, and the courage to rule ourselves.