Democracy is not just about elections, it’s about a culture of open and free communication. But that same culture contains the possibility of its destruction. Zac Gershberg argues that era of liberal democracy papered over this paradox by having elites gatekeep communication. This era is now irreversibly over. We need to learn to live with democracy’s internal tension.

Democracy is one of those concepts that despite our familiarity with it, it’s hard to define precisely. It’s meant different things during different historical periods, and it has different versions. What do you take to be the key features of a democracy?

It’s best to see democracy as a culture of communication that affords citizens the opportunities to freely express themselves and limit concentrations of power. Various government and legal designs, from parliamentary to electoral systems, can accommodate, shape, or preside over a democracy. These look different over time and within time. But the consistent characteristics of democracy, which goes back to the role of isegoria in Athens, are grounded in enabling the voices of the public to express themselves about what to do.