NationStates Jolt Archive

Anyone know anything about these? I've been trying to come up with some ideals towards which a good democracy (or similarly run nation) should strive. I'm thinking about stuff like the balance between majority rule and minority rights or the equality of all citizens before the law. I'm looking for a discussion of these ideals or even just a definition of a good democracy.

Anyone know anything about these? I've been trying to come up with some ideals towards which a good democracy (or similarly run nation) should strive. I'm thinking about stuff like the balance between majority rule and minority rights or the equality of all citizens before the law. I'm looking for a discussion of these ideals or even just a definition of a good democracy.

I don't like the idea very much, to be honest. I mean, in a way its kind of nice because it allows us to rule ourselves, which is something I can hardly begin to complain about. However, a 'pure' democracy grants more or less unlimited power to the majority, allowing them to act however they please. In a true democracy, nothing would prevent 51% of the population voting to enslave the other 49%....

...unless there was a written Constitution forbidding it. It's for this reason mainly that I prefer the mechanics of a pure Republic to that of a pure Democracy: we're still allowed to elect our officials and we still get to enjoy most of the benefits of self-rule, but a true Republic should be free from the tyrany of the majority, such as it were.

America is sort of a combination of both, but we use the term 'Democracy' by itself for some inscrutable reason. Technically speaking, we're a Democratic Republic.

A good democracy will strive for a lack of political hierarchy. All members of society will have equal voice in governmental policy making.

I hear ya on the whole 'pure democracy sucks' line. A constitution would be a good tool for building a 'democratic' kind of nation provided that it really did account for the rights of minorities. I was looking for a more general picture as opposed to one that focuses strictly on the US. This means that elements found in republics, the British House of Commons or anything else that is in some way governed by the votes of the people are all fair game. With that in mind, elements that ought to be found in a good 'democracy's' constitution could even come into this.

Never forget that Democracy killed Socrates.


We have yet to discover a perfect government. All of them inevitably become corrupt.

Perhaps we should listen to Jefferson and every so often have a revolution just to keep things fresh.

Anyone know anything about these? I've been trying to come up with some ideals towards which a good democracy (or similarly run nation) should strive. I'm thinking about stuff like the balance between majority rule and minority rights or the equality of all citizens before the law. I'm looking for a discussion of these ideals or even just a definition of a good democracy.

First and foremost you should study some of James' Madison's writings regarding democracy in the Federalist Papers. James' Madison is probably the greatest political thinker in regards to this subject. I know your not American and could very well careless about this current political system, but the best answers you can get IS going to come from America's founder's writings. I'm sorry, but these guys dealt with the issues and even answered a lot of them that you are curious of regarding a democracy. I'm not saying the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence, but instead the Federalist papers which argued why they had to change into a democratic Republic instead of a confederacy or their basicly unorganized local state governments.

All you did was give a general statment about Democracy, but the damned system has SO many dynamics that you really need to clarify a point, such as factions/political parties, lack of effective organization, automatically demands its citizens to always be directly involved in the political system unless through representatives.

If you do put representatives by the way, it no longer becomes a democracy as much as it becomes a Democratic Republic.

- And preventing tyranny by the majority is best done through designed checks and balances such as the fillibuster ability.

- Equality by all citizens under the law is alleviated through a constitution specifically defining the citizen's equality through the law and tools such as defining their protected rights.

- Good democracy: Small local communities having having direct democracy, and for larger entities such as a nation a democratic Republic.

Basicly the best example was what the American founders were trying to accomplish. They came from cities and communities that participated greatly in direct or absolute democracy and had to re-organize themselves nationally to have those particular issues you wanted to talk about protected against a possibly problematic government.

Grab a bit of Ancient Greece, a hint of Roman Republic, English legislative structures, and a large main course in American Revolutionary writings. Specificallly the writings of the best thinkers of that revolution. You'll get the best concept of democracy and its workings by learning that.