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What!? Who wants a real democracy? > In ancient Athenian democracy, sortition was the traditional and primary method for appointing political officials, and it
by readyplayernull 3y ago
What!? Who wants a real democracy?
> In ancient Athenian democracy, sortition was the traditional and primary method for appointing political officials, and its use was regarded as a principal characteristic of democracy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition
- lr4444lr 3y agoThe legal requirements and cultural qualifications to become a fully enfranchised Athenian citizen were already pretty self-selecting for what that society wanted in a more consensus driven way than most modern countries have.
- defrost 3y agoWell, sure, provided that by "consensus" you mean the opinions of adult, free, male citizens who probably constituted no more than 30 percent of the total adult population. Athens was a literal minority patriacharcy of landlords, and I don't say that to be contentious or a social justice warrior, etc. just to blandly point out a dull truth.
- wfleming 3y agoThe US started out that way too.
- kej 3y agoAlso interesting is the machine they used for the random selections: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleroterion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleroterion