"A fine contribution to the literature on the problems of modern
liberal democracy."--Choice
The pace of American society has quickened exponentially since the
Founding Fathers first mapped the constitution. Information travels at
the speed of light; so does money. We can hop from one side of the
country to the other in a matter of hours, contact our elected officials
instantaneously, and share our views with thousands of people at the
touch of a button.
Both academia and the popular media have grappled with the consequences
of this acceleration on every aspect of contemporary life. Most
pressing, however, may be its impact on political life. In Liberal
Democracy and the Social Acceleration of Time, William Scheuerman
offers a sophisticated assessment of the implications of social and
technological celerity in the operation of liberal democracies.
Specifically, he asks what is acceleration's main impact on the
traditional liberal democratic model of the separation of powers?
According to Scheuerman, high speed has created an imbalance. The
executive branch was intended to react with dispatch; by contrast,
legislatures and the courts were designed to be more deliberate and
thoughtful. While this system of checks and balances was effective in
the age of horse and buggy, Scheuerman argues that the very features
that were these institutions' strengths may now be a liability.
Throughout this book, Scheuerman offers a constructive critique which
articulates ways in which "liberal democracy might be recalibrated in
accordance with the tempo of modern society.
