The Icarus Temptation: Democratic Leadership and the Politics of Technology

Abstract

Modern democratic leaders face a new quandary - how are they to confront and deal with the challenge posed by modern technological innovation? In this paper I explore three specific aspects of this challenge - the problem of change or hyper-flux; the problem of theodicy; and the problem of authority. In examining these challenges of democratic leadership I want to explore the way technology can be said to have transformed democratic politics, and therefore posed a problem for democratic leaders, whether contingently or permanently.