For my friend J.K., whose rejection of the glib assumption that the Torah’s value system neatly aligns with a particular contemporary political position and serious, honest cogitation on these issues are as refreshing as they are rare.
I recently published an article and recorded a couple of lectures on halachic perspectives toward democracy; topics discussed are:
- The right of revolution (previously considered here)
- The social contract theory of governmental legitimacy
- The balancing of the claims of the one percent and the ninety-nine percent, the fifty-three percent and the forty-seven percent (considered are the views of, among others, Rav Meir (Maharam) of Rothenberg, his student Rabbeinu Asher b. Yehiel (Rosh), James Madison, John Jay and Noam Chomsky)
A studio recording is available here; a recording of a live presentation, along with the article and a couple of collections of notes are available here.