It has been argued that many people in the 19th century understood what democracy meant, while few, really wanted it. During the 20th century this was reversed. Everyone but a few was in favor of democracy, while it was rare to find anyone who had any idea about what it might be about. In short, democracy was transformed into what George Orwell dubbed a "love word," to the point where, every so often, it even becomes popular to go to war over it. This course will address some of the variations on the democratic theme, as well as the question of whether there is such a thing as a serious democratic argument and, if so, what it might be. We will also consider the possibility that there are a variety of "legitimate" democratic positions and to what extent these may make any sense.