Amartya Sen, 'The Argumentative Indian'
Author Amartya Sen NIH hide caption
From 'The Argumentative Indian' NIH hide caption
In a new book, Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen maintains that democracy is about much more than elections, and that India's democracy flourishes amid a long tradition of dispute, discussion and debate.
While the West takes much of the credit for the installation of democracy in a country that many westerners view as a backward rural society driven by mysticism and a rigid class based system, he provides historical and cultural arguments as to why India already had many of the ingredients to make democracy succeed. This emphasis on debate and skepticism is reflected in the book's title The Argumentative Indian.
Guest:
Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winner for economics
Read an Excerpt
The Argumentative Indian
Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity