Democracy is Dangerous. What Should We Do?


In Georgias, Plato warned that the populace is easy prey for charming politicians with hidden agenda. He argued that democracy can collapse into tyranny. Plato was validated. In the book How Democracies Die, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt recalled that many dictators “ascended the despotic throne” riding on popular vote.

In the past two centuries, many countries widened the base of people allowed to vote. It was a clear attempt to make societies more egalitarian but had risks and tradeoffs. Harvard professor Jennifer L. Horschild commented that decision-making in terms of tackling issues and choosing leaders have “become of lower quality” as a result of expanded suffrage.
I wish not to put down the lower classes. But it’s true that lack of education and lack of access to the right information can make people become easy victims of liars, especially in the era of fake news. Even today, mass education has not ensured a better-informed electorate. In the book Too Dumb for Democracy, David Moscrop wrote that after the Brexit referendum, Google searches “imply that an alarming number of voters had no idea what they were voting for.”
A recent US study likewise bared that voters did not pay enough attention to the important issues. That is why in the past decades, 60 percent of congressmen implicated in corruption scandals were voted to retain their seats. I also don’t think that limiting voting rights to “educated’ people is the solution. The learned and the rich can have self-vested interests too.
Despite its deficiencies, democracy is still the best form of government. Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson explained in Why Nations Fail explained that autocracy may result in kleptocracy among the rulers, and lack of drive among the citizens.
In my opinion, one good defense against the dangers of democracy is continuous values formation. It needs even more emphasis in schools because, as we know, even the best schools produced the worst politicians. Our young should know that absolutely nothing will justify wrongdoing, greed, and self-preservation. It’s not a new law, new science, or new political system that will make the world a better place. It’s good people.


How Democracies Die by Steven Lavitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

If Democracies Need Informed Voters, How Can They Thrive While Expanding Enfranchisement by Jennifer Horschild on scholar,harvard.edu

Too Dumb for Democracy by David Moscrop

Why do voters allow corrupt politicians to stay in office on the Open Learn website


Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson





 






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