Is Democracy Actually What People Want?

Logosofia no Dia a Dia · May 2, 2026 · 36m

Is democracy a stable, ancient institution or a fragile, recent experiment? This episode tackles a genuinely uncomfortable question: do people actually want democracy, or just outcomes they like? We trace democracy’s real timeline—from Athens’ brief 200-year run to its modern revival only 250 years ago—and examine the gap between lip service and revealed preferences. With 70% of the world now living under authoritarian rule, and 17 consecutive years of democratic backsliding, we explore the “boiling frog” problem of erosion, the generational decline in support, and whether democracy is a…