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I've always been supportive of the idea of kidnapping a random sample of citizens and forcing them to serve the country for a limited term. In fact I think this
by chatmasta 3y ago
I've always been supportive of the idea of kidnapping a random sample of citizens and forcing them to serve the country for a limited term. In fact I think this idea was unironically considered by the Greeks at one point or another...
- civilitty 3y agoThat would be Ancient Athenian sortition [1], but it wasn't a random sample - they were drawn from a self selected set of citizens. It was random-ish. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy#Selection_by_lot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_democracy#Selection_b...
- chatmasta 3y agoInterestingly we still have some vestige of this in the jury selection process.
- rurban 3y agoIt was not just considered, it was the original democracy.
- umeshunni 3y agosort of like the a jury system
- shiroiuma 3y agoThis was actually depicted in Arthur C. Clarke's book "Songs of Distant Earth": a distant robo-seeded colony of Earth is visited by the last starship from dying Earth, on the way to another world (this world doesn't have enough land area for all the humans on the starship) to rebuild its ice shield. The society on this world is very small, about the size of a small city, since it's basically one small island on a waterworld. The society has a mayor, who is drafted for the job, with only one disqualification: anyone who actually wants the job is barred from having it.
- dopidopHN 3y agoPart of the electoral college in some Greek cities was chosen randomly. From memory a third of what would be our chamber. That was design to keep the other in check. There was a big revivance of that idea in Western Europe 10 years ago.
- tjrgergw 3y agoWhat happened to freedom of speech? What if a citizen doesn't want to serve the country?