The Benefits of Democracy
Democracy is one of the core values of the Council of Europe, which has a number of publications and programmes focused on the issue. The Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe established the Forum for the Future of Democracy, a global initiative that aims to strengthen democracy and political freedoms across the region. The Forum brings together 400 participants from 47 member states to discuss how to promote a more democratic world.
Democracy relies on the idea of public equality. But the existence of a persistent minority violates public equality and undercuts the legitimacy of democratic assemblies. A persistent minority is a minority that is treated as inferior and has its fundamental interests set back. Such a minority can be very oppressive, and the ideas underlying democracy can help us understand this phenomenon.
A positive effect of democracy is that it teaches subjects to be more independent. As the result of the democratic process, individual decision-making is based on the input of citizens. The development of an independent citizenry is a common goal in democratic societies. In addition to the above-mentioned benefits, democracy also promotes rational thinking.
While some philosophers believe democracy is superior to a monarchy, others argue that it fosters destabilizing dissension and ineffective decision-making. Furthermore, some empirical data indicates that the majority of citizens in large democracies are uninformed and apathetic about politics, enabling special interests to influence decision-making and spread the costs of such a system across the population.
One of the most important aspects of democracy is freedom of expression. People’s rights to free thought and religion should be protected. Some governments try to restrict this freedom of expression because they are afraid that their citizens will think about alternatives to the government system. Some governments have even jailed citizens for “wrong” thoughts. Such people are known as prisoners of conscience. Democracies that lack freedom of expression and diversity of opinions are unproductive.
Another positive aspect of democracy is the right of citizens to participate in the political process. Voting contributes to collective justice by maintaining the equal decision-making power of citizens. In democracy, the people have the power to throw out problematic leaders. However, this does not necessarily mean that the citizens are entitled to vote for their preferred candidate.
Moreover, democracy promotes economic growth. As a result, more people have the opportunity to take part in political decision-making. For example, in 1965, African Americans gained voting rights and secured more benefits from the state. As such, the concept of democracy is crucial for the advancement of social equality. It is also necessary to ensure that democratic institutions protect core liberal rights.
In this book, Joshua Cohen develops a concept of democracy based on John Rawls and Habermas. For Cohen, the definition of democracy requires that individuals engage in deliberation and discussion. These ideas are the basis for the structure of democratic institutions.
Democracy is one of the core values of the Council of Europe, which has a number of publications and programmes focused on the issue. The Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe established the Forum for the Future of Democracy, a global initiative that aims to strengthen democracy and political freedoms across the region. The Forum brings together 400 participants from 47 member states to discuss how to promote a more democratic world. Democracy relies on the idea of public equality. But the existence of a persistent minority violates public equality and undercuts the legitimacy of democratic assemblies. A persistent minority is a minority that is treated as inferior and has its fundamental interests set back. Such a minority can be very oppressive, and the ideas underlying democracy can help us understand this phenomenon. A positive effect of democracy is that it teaches subjects to be more independent. As the result of the democratic process, individual decision-making is based on the input of citizens. The development of an independent citizenry is a common goal in democratic societies. In addition to the above-mentioned benefits, democracy also promotes rational thinking. While some philosophers believe democracy is superior to a monarchy, others argue that it fosters destabilizing dissension and ineffective decision-making. Furthermore, some empirical data indicates that the majority of citizens in large democracies are uninformed and apathetic about politics, enabling special interests to influence decision-making and spread the costs of such a system across the population. One of the most important aspects of democracy is freedom of expression. People’s rights to free thought and religion should be protected. Some governments try to restrict this freedom of expression because they are afraid that their citizens will think about alternatives to the government system. Some governments have even jailed citizens for “wrong” thoughts. Such people are known as prisoners of conscience. Democracies that lack freedom of expression and diversity of opinions are unproductive. Another positive aspect of democracy is the right of citizens to participate in the political process. Voting contributes to collective justice by maintaining the equal decision-making power of citizens. In democracy, the people have the power to throw out problematic leaders. However, this does not necessarily mean that the citizens are entitled to vote for their preferred candidate. Moreover, democracy promotes economic growth. As a result, more people have the opportunity to take part in political decision-making. For example, in 1965, African Americans gained voting rights and secured more benefits from the state. As such, the concept of democracy is crucial for the advancement of social equality. It is also necessary to ensure that democratic institutions protect core liberal rights. In this book, Joshua Cohen develops a concept of democracy based on John Rawls and Habermas. For Cohen, the definition of democracy requires that individuals engage in deliberation and discussion. These ideas are the basis for the structure of democratic institutions.