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.
