Plato’s “Republic” was, in part, a meditation on the evils of mob rule
LIBERALS HAVE become lazy when thinking about the mob. They have celebrated “people power” when it threatens regimes they disapprove of, in the Middle East, say, while turning a blind eye to the excesses of protesters who they deem to be on the right side of history—in Portland, Oregon, for example. In August 2020 a mainstream publisher, Public Affairs, produced “In Defence of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action” by Vicky Osterweil.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Madison’s nightmare”
From the January 16th 2021 edition
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