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Liberal democracy is just a technology that has to be adopted as a standard in order to work, like TCP/IP or AC power. Some country might have a mixed-member pr
by philwelch 7y ago
Liberal democracy is just a technology that has to be adopted as a standard in order to work, like TCP/IP or AC power. Some country might have a mixed-member proportional elected parliament just as another country might have 120V mains power. And in that respect, there are technologies much more widely standardized than any political system.
I think it helps as a reminder that all of these things are human inventions that are intended to solve problems.
- TheOtherHobbes 7y agoLiberal democracy is not "just" a technology, and creating a mixed member proportional elected parliament isn't a guaranteed magic solution to political or social problems. Politics is hard. Really, really hard. Much harder than technology. Because politics is part social psychology and part evolutionary psychology. And while we understand enough about both to have some idea how to manipulate them, we don't understand them well enough to manipulate them - and ourselves, and each other - wisely.
- philwelch 7y agoNo technology is a guaranteed magic solution to any problem. That's what makes it technology rather than magic.