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> modern western democracies Modern western democracies aren't democracies, they're republics. Part of the reason they aren't direct democracies is actually a

by pluma 10y ago

> modern western democracies Modern western democracies aren't democracies, they're republics. Part of the reason they aren't direct democracies is actually a thing you mention: in a direct democracy the 51% effectively rule over the 49% and there is no recourse for the minority to have their needs met. Also, no need to re-invent the wheel. If you want a model where an organisation isn't led by a "self-appointed dictator", just look at cooperatives, or foundations like Mozilla.

dalke 10y ago
Republics can also be democracies. "Democracy" includes the many types of representative democracies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy . Most of the people I've talked to who make the argument that a republic is not a democracy base point to Federalist #10. But Madison was comparing a "pure democracy" - "by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person" - and a "republic" - "by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place". The section at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicanism#Democracy_and_republic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicanism#Democracy_and_re... highlights how "democracy" now is something a bit more broad than was used 225+ years ago: > In contemporary usage, the term democracy refers to a government chosen by the people, whether it is direct or representative.[32] Today the term republic usually refers to a representative democracy with an elected head of state, such as a president, who serves for a limited term; in contrast to states with a hereditary monarch as a head of state, even if these states also are representative democracies, with an elected or appointed head of government such as a prime minister.[33] > The Founding Fathers of the United States rarely praised and often criticized democracy, which in their time tended to specifically mean direct democracy;

by pluma 10y ago

dalke 10y ago

Republics can also be democracies. "Democracy" includes the many types of representative democracies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy . Most of the people I've talked to who make the argument that a republic is not a democracy base point to Federalist #10. But Madison was comparing a "pure democracy" - "by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person" - and a "republic" - "by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place". The section at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicanism#Democracy_and_republic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicanism#Democracy_and_re... highlights how "democracy" now is something a bit more broad than was used 225+ years ago: > In contemporary usage, the term democracy refers to a government chosen by the people, whether it is direct or representative.[32] Today the term republic usually refers to a representative democracy with an elected head of state, such as a president, who serves for a limited term; in contrast to states with a hereditary monarch as a head of state, even if these states also are representative democracies, with an elected or appointed head of government such as a prime minister.[33] > The Founding Fathers of the United States rarely praised and often criticized democracy, which in their time tended to specifically mean direct democracy;