Democracy is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "a form of government in which the people have a say over how it is governed" and its literal definition is "people power" (Classical Greek). Frequent, open and fair elections are seen as the hallmarks of democracies, and often, the hallmarks of great societies. Democracy's roots, however, did not see elections as such an essential process.
This form of government, regarded by many as the hallmark of a great civilisation, originates from 5th Century BC Athens. In Ancient Athens, anyone who was a free male, and was not foreign-born, was granted the right to attend an ecclesia or assembly, where they would have the chance to bring about public lawsuits and debate new laws. These assemblies occurred several times a month and of the approximately 30, 000 eligible, there were about 6,000 to every meeting.
A government of 6,000, in which there was no structural debate would have made for ineffective government, so the Athenians introduced a boule or higher council, which would be chosen by sortition (random selection). The only offices that were democratically elected in Athens those of military generals and other offices that seemingly required a high level of proficiency.
Sortition, as well as strict term limits, stopped the foundation of political classes and political parties; in essence, the Ancient Athenians knew that democracy was societal suicide in the form of equality, so they brought in an upper chamber, to establish order and peace. The Founding Fathers of the United States knew this; they established an Electoral College, which meant that a majority could not become tyrannical.
Below is how Benjamin Franklin described this hailed institution:
A significant flaw of the democratic system is that someone of great wisdom, understanding, reason and rationality has the same influence over the outcome of an election as someone who is ignorant and uneducated (in regards to the policies at hand).
If we liken a society to a ship, Socrates argues, it is far better to only allow those educated in seafaring matters to decide who the captain of the vessel is. In our own society, we restrict the right to vote to those over the age of 18, because "we" believe that brains do not reach maturity until this age. Is it not far more responsible to restrict voting to those who have the rationale to make such an important decision as voting?
NOTE: The quotes used in this article are often paraphrased and should not be taken as the literal words of the men who said them, especially when written in foreign and ancient languages before being translated into Modern English
This form of government, regarded by many as the hallmark of a great civilisation, originates from 5th Century BC Athens. In Ancient Athens, anyone who was a free male, and was not foreign-born, was granted the right to attend an ecclesia or assembly, where they would have the chance to bring about public lawsuits and debate new laws. These assemblies occurred several times a month and of the approximately 30, 000 eligible, there were about 6,000 to every meeting.
A government of 6,000, in which there was no structural debate would have made for ineffective government, so the Athenians introduced a boule or higher council, which would be chosen by sortition (random selection). The only offices that were democratically elected in Athens those of military generals and other offices that seemingly required a high level of proficiency.
Sortition, as well as strict term limits, stopped the foundation of political classes and political parties; in essence, the Ancient Athenians knew that democracy was societal suicide in the form of equality, so they brought in an upper chamber, to establish order and peace. The Founding Fathers of the United States knew this; they established an Electoral College, which meant that a majority could not become tyrannical.
Below is how Benjamin Franklin described this hailed institution:
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what's for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.Socrates, the philosopher, is portrayed, by the Dialogues of Plato as an antagonist of the system. In the sixth book of The Republic of Plato, the philosopher attempts to reason with another man who is staunchly pro-democracy.
A significant flaw of the democratic system is that someone of great wisdom, understanding, reason and rationality has the same influence over the outcome of an election as someone who is ignorant and uneducated (in regards to the policies at hand).
If we liken a society to a ship, Socrates argues, it is far better to only allow those educated in seafaring matters to decide who the captain of the vessel is. In our own society, we restrict the right to vote to those over the age of 18, because "we" believe that brains do not reach maturity until this age. Is it not far more responsible to restrict voting to those who have the rationale to make such an important decision as voting?
NOTE: The quotes used in this article are often paraphrased and should not be taken as the literal words of the men who said them, especially when written in foreign and ancient languages before being translated into Modern English
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