On a Rocky Hill in Athens, a ‘Democratic Odyssey’ Begins
Could a European People’s Assembly—Politician-Free and Chosen by Lottery—Become a Permanent Branch of Government?
Democracy was first built on a lot of loose rock.
Can democracy now be rebuilt on that very same ground?
Recently, I spent a long afternoon on a dusty and rocky Athens hill called the Pnyx for the first meeting of a novel assembly inspired by the past.
It was the most audacious and beautiful democratic event I’ve ever witnessed.
The Pnyx rises just west of the Acropolis. There, the ancient Athenian Ecclesia, consisting of local citizens mostly chosen by lot, gathered more than 100 generations ago to make all important government decisions. No …
