This house believes that democracy is undesirable for a good society".

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GO146        David Bates 04291225

Introduction to Political Thought

Debate Log

“This house believes that democracy is undesirable for a good society”.

        Seminar four took the form of a debate between supporters and opponents of democracy. Two speakers made their case, each putting forward their argument. The remaining members of the group then discussed the issues raised and decided if they were in favour or against democracy. This log seeks to record the events of the debate.

        The argument for the case of democracy was presented first. The following represents how the argument was put forward.

For democracy

  • The word democracy comes from the Greek for ruled by people through any form of government they choose.
  • The public must obey the rules so surely they should, at least, have a hand in creating the rules. This way they public are more content and happier to obey the laws as they are less likely to feel alienated by them and indeed there would be less discrimination.
  • Rousseau set out the idea of a ‘social contract’ where by citizens agree to obey the law. They give their consent to be governed and that also constitutes an agreement to obey any laws the government makes.
  • Every citizen should take part in democracy, and participation should not be limited to those with education or wealth.
  • Locke argues that basic right of human beings cannot be taken away, so therefore, the people cannot hand over power to an elite group or ruler.
  • Locke goes onto ague that any person willing, or desiring to do the job of leading the people must only want that position for selfish reasons. Be they egotistical, megalomaniacal or material. It is argued that anyone wanting the job, therefore, is unsuitable.
  • The media has made democracy easier. In that there are more ways to stay informed, such as the traditional newspaper, to the internet. People have much more choice now also. They need not continue reading or watching biased coverage of politics. Instead they can switch on to the likes of BBC Parliament, Sky News, BBC News 24, or rolling radio news services such as DNN. With so much choice and diversity, it is easy to see why the media has been an advantage to democracy.
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  • Also, the internet has opened up new ways of participating in politics an has made government institutions much more accessible. Online petitions and pressure groups with online membership facilities all contribute to an increase in participation opportunities.
  • Elections are held with intervals, and so, in the time between voting, people become more ‘worked up’ and more likely to participate at the next election. Elections also act to guarantee a degree of participation each time.
  • The function of elections is to choose our government; however, if we feel we have made a mistake in our choice, we have a legitimate ...

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