Democracy: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:49, 23 December 2024

If you don't vote you can't get the sicker

Democracy is the only political system capable of maximizing the sense of freedom and self-determination experienced by the citizens.

“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” - Winston S. Churchill

Since all of the happiest countries are democracies, and there is no reason to believe that any of the inherently authoritarian alternatives would better serve their citizens in the long run, it's pretty easy to conclude a this point that democracy represents a political best practice.

The structure of democracy can take many forms. Direct, representative, parliamentary, etc.

Voting can also take many forms. First-past-the-post and ranked choice are two options currently being debated in the US, but others exist as well.

Lottery-based representation has also been shown to reduce the drawbacks of self-selecting candidates and self-promoting elections that tend to attract the most narcissistic over the most qualified.

The point is not that we need to allow every citizen to vote on every issue (direct democracy). It's that the people have a chance to vote, and the ability to replace the current political regime with another one when public opinion demands it. This is a necessary part of freedom and balance of power. It also has to be possible in practice, not just in theory. When the levers of democracy are stacked too much in favor of entrenched powers, people lose trust in the institution of democracy even if there is a theoretical legal path to regime change.

Within the realm of democracy, we can create Evidence-Based Best Practices that demonstrate which representation and voting systems produce the "best" government in terms of various metrics. These might include accurately reflecting the will of the majority, delivering government services efficiently and effectively, or implementing policies that successfully increase Gross National Happiness.

Is democracy really the best form of government?

12 Types of Democracy Explained

Tweak the Vote - Radiolab

Willie Nelson - Vote 'em Out

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-[[File:Democracy-voting-electoral-systems-democratic-election-representative-government.jpg|thumb|If you don't vote you can't get the sicker]]''“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”''  ― Winston S. Churchill
+[[File:Democracy-voting-electoral-systems-democratic-election-representative-government.jpg|thumb|If you don't vote you can't get the sicker]]Democracy is the only political system capable of maximizing the sense of [[freedom]] and [[self-determination]] experienced by the citizens.<blockquote>''“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”''  - Winston S. Churchill</blockquote>Since all of the [[wikipedia:Quality_of_life|happiest countries]] are democracies, and there is no reason to believe that any of the inherently [[authoritarian]] alternatives would better serve their citizens in the long run, it's pretty easy to conclude a this point that democracy represents a [[political]] [[best practice]].
-Democracy is the only political system capable of maximizing the sense of [[freedom]] and [[self-determination]] experienced by the citizens.
-Since all of the [[wikipedia:Quality_of_life|happiest countries]] are democracies, and there is no reason to believe that any of the inherently [[authoritarian]] alternatives would better serve their citizens in the long run, it's pretty easy to conclude a this point that democracy represents a [[political]] [[best practice]].
 The structure of democracy can take many forms. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy Direct], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy representative], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_system parliamentary], etc.
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 [https://brill.com/view/journals/dyp/56/2/article-p136_003.xml?language=en Lottery-based] representation has also been shown to reduce the drawbacks of self-selecting candidates and self-promoting elections that tend to attract the most narcissistic over the most qualified.
-Within the realm of democracy, we can create [[Evidence-Based Best Practices]] that demonstrate which representation and voting systems produce the "best" [[government]] in terms of various metrics. These might include accurately reflecting the will of the majority, delivering [[government]] services efficiently and effectively, or implementing policies that successfully increase [[Gross National Happiness]].
+The point is not that we need to allow every citizen to vote on every issue ([[wikipedia:Direct_democracy|direct democracy]]). It's that the people have a chance to vote, and the ability to replace the current [[political]] regime with another one when public opinion demands it. This is a [[necessary]] part of [[freedom]] and [[balance of power]]. It also has to be possible in practice, not just in theory. When the levers of democracy are stacked too much in favor of entrenched powers, people lose [[trust]] in the [[institution]] of democracy even if there is a theoretical [[legal]] path to regime change.
+Within the realm of democracy, we can create [[Evidence-Based Best Practices]] that demonstrate which representation and voting systems produce the "best" [[government]] in terms of various [[metrics]]. These might include accurately reflecting the will of the majority, delivering [[government]] services efficiently and effectively, or implementing policies that successfully increase [[Gross National Happiness]].
 {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2YM5_o6PRo||center|Is democracy really the best form of government?|frame}}