Justifications For Democracy
Democracy means “rule by the people.” It is a system of government in which people have a say in who governs them. It also involves the free expression of ideas and opinions, equal treatment under the law, and protection of people’s rights and freedoms.
In our democracy, there is no single dominant political party and anyone can stand for election to any office. People have freedom of speech, movement and belief and the media are free to publish any information deemed in the public interest without fear of arrest or prosecution.
A major feature of democracy is that all citizens have a right to vote in elections, which are normally held at least once every five years or so. The most well-known example of this is in Australia where all adults are eligible to vote, regardless of whether or not they live in the state in which they are enrolled. People can make their choices in secret, and their votes are counted by a neutral organisation called the Australian Electoral Commission. People can challenge decisions made by governments or their elected representatives, and laws are fair, clearly written and protect people’s rights.
We know that many people in democracies around the world are dissatisfied with democracy and believe that it is not working as it should. The reasons for this vary across nations, but generally they are based on the perception that politics is not responsive to their needs and concerns; that elections do not bring real change; that politicians are corrupt and out of touch and that courts treat people unfairly.
In addition to the issues above, there is concern that democracies are unable to address the growing inequality of wealth and power in our world. It is hard to feel that democracy is working if your children are homeless, you have no food or health care, or your country cannot pay its debts.
There are two main ways that people justify democracy: instrumentally, by reference to the outcomes it achieves compared with other methods of political decision making; and intrinsically, by reference to values inherent in the democratic method (see this article for more details).
Democracies often make decisions by consulting large groups of citizens to obtain broad-based views on specific issues before reaching a consensus. This reflects the fact that, when properly implemented, democracy can make better decisions than other forms of government.
A second, and less obvious justification for democracy is that it makes people more active participants in society, cultivating their characters in a way that other forms of rule do not. In particular, by giving citizens a share of control over political-decision-making, it encourages them to be more independent and assertive. This is an argument that goes back at least as far as Mill and Rousseau.
Democracy means “rule by the people.” It is a system of government in which people have a say in who governs them. It also involves the free expression of ideas and opinions, equal treatment under the law, and protection of people’s rights and freedoms. In our democracy, there is no single dominant political party and anyone can stand for election to any office. People have freedom of speech, movement and belief and the media are free to publish any information deemed in the public interest without fear of arrest or prosecution. A major feature of democracy is that all citizens have a right to vote in elections, which are normally held at least once every five years or so. The most well-known example of this is in Australia where all adults are eligible to vote, regardless of whether or not they live in the state in which they are enrolled. People can make their choices in secret, and their votes are counted by a neutral organisation called the Australian Electoral Commission. People can challenge decisions made by governments or their elected representatives, and laws are fair, clearly written and protect people’s rights. We know that many people in democracies around the world are dissatisfied with democracy and believe that it is not working as it should. The reasons for this vary across nations, but generally they are based on the perception that politics is not responsive to their needs and concerns; that elections do not bring real change; that politicians are corrupt and out of touch and that courts treat people unfairly. In addition to the issues above, there is concern that democracies are unable to address the growing inequality of wealth and power in our world. It is hard to feel that democracy is working if your children are homeless, you have no food or health care, or your country cannot pay its debts. There are two main ways that people justify democracy: instrumentally, by reference to the outcomes it achieves compared with other methods of political decision making; and intrinsically, by reference to values inherent in the democratic method (see this article for more details). Democracies often make decisions by consulting large groups of citizens to obtain broad-based views on specific issues before reaching a consensus. This reflects the fact that, when properly implemented, democracy can make better decisions than other forms of government. A second, and less obvious justification for democracy is that it makes people more active participants in society, cultivating their characters in a way that other forms of rule do not. In particular, by giving citizens a share of control over political-decision-making, it encourages them to be more independent and assertive. This is an argument that goes back at least as far as Mill and Rousseau.