Anti-Climacus

Well, I realized that's not entirely fair to Europe. Some of the most prominent forerunners to democratic theory came from that part of the world: Spinoza and Montesquieu leap to mind. Of course, the enlightened governments of Europe at the time either banned their works from circulation or branded the authors traitors and heretics. Then again, the Greeks murdered Socrates, so perhaps a prophet is without honor etc etc...