以美国为首的西方媒体并不像他们所标榜的那样客观公正，这几乎是西方传媒学者的共识，为何新闻客观性还能继续在北美传媒中成为“不死的上帝”?北美庞大的传媒机构如何运转?北美传媒与社会生活，尤其与政治之间又有着怎样错综复杂的关系?本书是一部深刻反思北美传媒的历史与现状，从西方新闻体制、新闻哲学以及新闻与民主的关系的高度来探讨客观性并以此为基础剖析北美传媒的百科全书式的集大成之作。

"A work of tremendous originality and insight."—Washington Post. A national bestseller, including extended stays on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post lists, this major work by Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria has been touted by the New York Times as "brave and ambitious...updated Tocqueville" and the Chicago Tribune as "essential reading for anyone worried about the promotion and preservation of liberty." Democracy has reshaped politics, economics, and culture around the world. This provocative book asks, can you have too much of a good thing? Today we judge the value of every idea, institution, and individual by one test: is it popular? Or, more practically, do the majority of those polled like it? This transformation has affected not just politics but also business, law, culture, and even religion. Every institution and profession in society must democratize or die. Democracy has gone from being a form of government to a way of life. Like any broad transformation, however, the trends that democracy unleashes are not uniformly benign. Democracy has its dark sides, yet to question it has been to provoke instant criticism that you are "out of sync" with the times. No more. "Intensely provocative and valuable," according to Business Week, and with an easy command of history, philosophy, and current affairs, The Future of Freedom calls for a restoration of the balance between liberty and democracy and shows how liberal democracy has to be made effective and relevant for our time. Woodrow Wilson said the challenge of the twentieth century was to make the world safe for democracy. This penetrating book challenges us to make democracy safe for the world.

浙江的民主究竟有着怎样的特征？浙江的民主和浙江经济的发展，有着怎样的因与果？浙江的民主是不是中国民主的未来？从浙江的民主看中国民主的未来，会不会再现俄罗斯式民主的厄运？ 本书主要叙述了浙江私营企业主阶层的民主生活，当金钱的影响开始及于国务、商业成为跻身权力之门的新阶梯，这个新兴阶层的民主生活就不复是一个孤立的存在。本书的叙事，不仅是逐渐壮大的私营企业主如何参政的个体叙事，而必然包含公民社会的人和事，以及基于人民伦理的国家叙事。作者认为，新兴的私营企业主阶层将带来民主创新的活力，亦将成为公民社会发展的动力。

Winner of the 1991 Elaine and David Spitz Book Award given by the International Conference for the Study of Political Thought for the best book published on liberal and/or democratic theory Winner of the 1990 Woodrow Wilson Foundation Book Award given by the American Political Science Association for the best book published in the United States during the previous year on government, politics, or international affairs In this prize-winning book, one of the most prominent political theorists of our time makes a major statement about what democracy is and why it is important. Robert Dahl examines the most basic assumptions of democratic theory, tests them against the questions raised by its critics, and recasts the theory of democracy into a new and coherent whole. He concludes by discussing the directions in which democracy must move if advanced democratic states are to exist in the future. “When Robert Dahl speaks about democracy, everyone should listen. With Democracy and Its Critics Dahl has produced a work destined to become another classic.”—Lucian W. Pye, American Political Science Review “In this magisterial work [Dahl]… describe[s] what democracy means…; why our own democracy is still deeply flawed; and how we could reform it…. A work of extraordinary intelligence and, what is even rarer, a work of extraordinary wisdom.”—Robert N. Bellah, New York Times Book Review

Today we judge the value of every idea, institution and individual by one test: is it popular? Or, more practically, do the majority of those polled like it? This transformation has affected not just politics, but also law, business, culture and even religion. Every institution and profession in society must democratize or die. Democracy has gone from being a form of government to a way of life. Like any broad transformation, however, the trends that democracy unleashes are not uniformly benign. Democracy has its dark sides, yet to question it has been to provoke instant criticism that you are "out of sync" with the times. No more. Zakaria uses his command of history, philosophy and current affairs to reinterpret our past and outline our future. Woodrow Wilson said that the challenge of the 20th century was to make the world safe for democracy - this book challenges us to make democracy safe for the world.

作者首先厘清本义的民主概念包括两点：人民自己当政（直接民主）；真正的社会平等，并指出，现代西方实行的只是“共和”“代议制”，而非人民自己当家作主。代议制是议员“代”人民当政，与人民“自己”当政不是一回事。同时，真正的社会平等也不可行。在这个意义上，本义、真正的民主是不可实现的乌托邦。 本书强调，西方现行政制的实质是“自由”+“法制”或“法制”本身。 一旦我们弄清西方现政体不是“民主”，可以减少我们对西方现代政体的某种迷信，从而反过来更冷静地评价、肯定中国自己的政治智慧—“为民”。