The Phantom Public
E122003
The Phantom Public is a 1925 political philosophy book by Walter Lippmann that critically examines the limits of democratic participation and the role of the public in modern mass society.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| The Phantom Public canonical | 3 |
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
book
ⓘ
non-fiction book ⓘ political philosophy book ⓘ |
| addresses |
problems of information and complexity in modern politics
ⓘ
relationship between experts and lay citizens ⓘ role of the press in shaping public opinion ⓘ |
| argues |
that citizens mostly react to issues rather than initiate policy
ⓘ
that decision-making in modern society is dominated by experts and insiders ⓘ that the general public is largely uninformed about complex political issues ⓘ |
| author | Walter Lippmann ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| criticizedBy | John Dewey ⓘ |
| critiques |
classical democratic theory
ⓘ
the idea of an omniscient, rational public ⓘ |
| describes | the public as a "phantom" in democratic theory ⓘ |
| follows | Public Opinion ⓘ |
| genre |
political philosophy
ⓘ
political theory ⓘ |
| hasForm | print ⓘ |
| hasPerspective | skeptical view of mass democratic participation ⓘ |
| hasReception |
considered a classic in democratic theory
ⓘ
controversial for its skepticism about popular rule ⓘ |
| hasReprint | modern academic editions ⓘ |
| influenced |
communication studies on media and public opinion
ⓘ
later debates on democratic theory ⓘ theories of elitist democracy ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Walter Lippmann
ⓘ
surface form:
Walter Lippmann's earlier work "Public Opinion"
|
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainTopic |
democracy
ⓘ
limits of democratic participation ⓘ mass society ⓘ public opinion ⓘ role of the public in politics ⓘ |
| notableConcept |
distinction between insiders and outsiders in politics
ⓘ
public as a collection of bystanders ⓘ |
| philosophicalTradition |
liberalism
ⓘ
realist political theory ⓘ |
| proposes | a limited role for the public in democratic governance ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1925 ⓘ |
| publisher |
Macmillan and Co.
ⓘ
surface form:
Macmillan (original publisher)
|
| relatedWork | The Public and Its Problems ⓘ |
| subjectOf |
scholarly analysis in democratic theory
ⓘ
scholarly analysis in media studies ⓘ scholarly analysis in political science ⓘ |
| timePeriodDiscussed | early 20th-century mass democracy ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.