And can you tell me the reasons that a populace wouldn't be well informed?
Democracy: thumbs up or down?
- Thread starter Why?
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And can you tell me the reasons that a populace wouldn't be well informed?
Their skin colors are different?
wait no, they all have different views and economic backgrounds
Wait no they have different religions!!
wait wait!!! They have problems!
Wait no they watch different news channels!
Democracy is simply tyranny of the majority. A majority who more often than not are ignorant.
sowhatifit'sdark
Valued Senior Member
And the biggest egos decide what the others should believe and do.
No thanks.
sowhatifit'sdark
Valued Senior Member
I agree with the sentiment and I would love us to try this out, but as of today we can study no examples of this, so your assertion is simply speculative. I don't see any well-informed populaces and I see the cause: those with power control the media.
Yeah, when we have people voting on candidates due to their looks, have no idea about their voting records, or they would be the kinda guy they'd like to have a beer with, easily manipulated by soundbite ads, etc etc. Hey, I guess what we need aren't a well-informed public, we just need to get rid of morons.
- N
The problem with democracy is revelaed in the ancient Latin phrase - Like king, like people.
In modern terms: Like people, like government.
And because the majority of the society is unfit to make an educated decision, a democratically elected government mostly has the same problem.
I support the rule of the most educated people. In the ancient Greece democracies worked exactly because the citizens were the most educated people - an elite.
In modern terms: Like people, like government.
And because the majority of the society is unfit to make an educated decision, a democratically elected government mostly has the same problem.
I support the rule of the most educated people. In the ancient Greece democracies worked exactly because the citizens were the most educated people - an elite.
By the way I heard an interesting observation:
In order to determine the center of power, just find the tallest building in the city.
In the middle ages those were cathedrals and churches, in the 17, 18, 19th century those were the government (state) buildings. Nowadays those are the great merchant buildings.
Quite correct, because only the most powerful can afford such expenses and it's in the human nature to show off your power.
In order to determine the center of power, just find the tallest building in the city.
In the middle ages those were cathedrals and churches, in the 17, 18, 19th century those were the government (state) buildings. Nowadays those are the great merchant buildings.
Quite correct, because only the most powerful can afford such expenses and it's in the human nature to show off your power.
sowhatifit'sdark
Valued Senior Member
Well, we have a schooling system that actually punishes critical thinking - except when it is used in tiny containers, carefully controlled and segregated (on tests for example) - and we have media controlled by a small group of people with common political interests. The agar agar really on supports certain life forms.Yeah, when we have people voting on candidates due to their looks, have no idea about their voting records, or they would be the kinda guy they'd like to have a beer with, easily manipulated by soundbite ads, etc etc. Hey, I guess what we need aren't a well-informed public, we just need to get rid of morons.
- N
I wonder...when Nuclear war hits Earth and the ground will be too radioactive to live on, will the rich who control the most money flow have the thickest underground bunkers?
Carcano
Valued Senior Member
The problem with democracy is the majority of voters are not qualified to make decisions on leadership.
In the same way that the majority of soldiers are not qualified to choose the generals.
Or the majority of students are not qualified to chose their professors.
Average majorities are almost always wrong.
And this is precisely what democracy is based on.
It needs some refinement in the way of excluding the majority while empowering a competent minority of voters...possibly only 20% of eligible citizens.
In the same way that the majority of soldiers are not qualified to choose the generals.
Or the majority of students are not qualified to chose their professors.
Average majorities are almost always wrong.
And this is precisely what democracy is based on.
It needs some refinement in the way of excluding the majority while empowering a competent minority of voters...possibly only 20% of eligible citizens.
Perhaps we should return to an aristocratic form of government. Individuals who are trained since birth to govern, and who lack the ambition of many politicians witnessed in today's age, might be preferable to rule by the ignorant majority of plebs.