Democracy is freedom, excercised collectively. If the people does not rule itself – which in terms of individuals means that everyone has about equal influence

Democracy is freedom, excercised collectively. If the people does not rule itself – which in terms of individuals means that everyone has about equal influence – it gets ruled by someone. That entity probably doesn't have the people's best interests in mind, if it even knows them. We need freedom for the same reason: Because when you let a person make decisions for themselves, you have generally picked the best person for the job. Ultimately neither are terminal conditions though, happiness is.