Why Did the Founders Fear Democracy?

"Exploring the big ideas at the heart of the American experiment"SHOW NOTES: In this episode of The Blessings of Liberty, law professor Robert P. George joins to discuss the philosophical underpinnings of the American Founding, the original meaning of “the pursuit of happiness,” the centrality of education to the formation of virtue, and the importance of structural safeguards for the protection of liberty. Jeffrey Rosen moderates. This episode was originally recorded as a program with the Chautauqua Institution.  Participants Robert P. George is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. He also chairs the New Jersey Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. His most recent book is Seeking Truth and Speaking Truth: Law and Morality in Our Cultural Moment (2025). Jeffrey Rosen is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center. He is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. Additional ResourcesRobert P. George | Chautauqua Lecture SeriesRobert P. George, Seeking Truth and Speaking Truth: Law and Morality in Our Cultural Moment (2025)Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America (2025)James Madison, “Federalist No. 10” (1787)James Madison, “Federalist No. 51” (1788)Stay Connected and Learn MoreSubstack: @rosenjeffreyInstagram: @TheBlessingsOfLibertyX: @JeffreyRosenPodX (Personal): @RosenJeffreyYouTube: @TheBlessingsofLibertyPodThank you to our presenting sponsor, FIRE, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans—especially freedom of speech and free thought. Learn more about FIRE’s work at FIRE.org/blessings.