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Total Democracy?

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Athena View Drop Down
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  Quote Athena Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Total Democracy?
    Posted: 19-May-2011 at 10:12
Democracy is so much more than government. It is a set of principles by which people live.  However, this set of principles must be taught, because people can not live by them if they do not know them.  Since we stopped teaching them, people don't know what they are, and the democracy we had is about to become a forgotten memory.  
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  Quote red clay Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-May-2011 at 15:36
The world changes, people change with it.  Prioritys and principles change appropriate to those changes.  It starts to lead back to that wonderful question that we used to get in Ethics 101.  Is an honest person in a dishonest society, maladjusted?
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  Quote TheAlaniDragonRising Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jun-2011 at 08:15
In a total democracy are minority interests more likely to be overlooked?
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  Quote red clay Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jun-2011 at 11:38
Not if they can be taxed.Big smile
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  Quote medenaywe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jun-2011 at 11:48
Al Capone was very undemocratic person in history as we knew it.Big smileTotal what is this all about?As could be seen above,lubricators as Total moves our world on!!!


Edited by medenaywe - 12-Jun-2011 at 11:49
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  Quote red clay Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jun-2011 at 12:08
I thought I would bring this up, might inspire some folks to join in.  A total or "pure Democracy" doesn't work.  A pure form of either Democracy or Communism doesn't exist.  Total Democracy is usually followed by Total Anarchy, which eventually leads to a new form of government, something that wasn't lost on Mao. 
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  Quote Centrix Vigilis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jun-2011 at 22:23
It is an evil... ficitious..... mythology that has caused much pain and loss....this idea of total democracy.
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  Quote HerodAntipas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-Jun-2011 at 22:31
When I first learned about Athenian-style democracy (which, provided the franchise were extended beyond freeborn males, is something close to "total democracy") I was assured by my teacher that it couldn't happen because our modern states are too populous. We can't all gather in the same place to discuss the issues of the day and formulate policy like they could in Athens, a small "fact-to-face" society. Of course advances in technology have swept this objection aside. Thanks to the internet, it's now conceivable that we really could create a society where the "general public" gets to vote on every single policy. Government by referendum, if you like. But I find this a little scary.

I find it scary because, as TheAlaniDragonRising has intimated, this would create a society where there is no difference between public opinion and government policy, and in such a society I find it hard to see how minority rights could be guaranteed or protected. It also destroys any concept of expertise (although in fairness it's not clear how we can attribute much expertise to the career politicians of the real world either!) And, since Athens is really the only thing like a "test case" we have, someone ought to point out that Athenian government policy was crazily erratic, that poor Athenian government triggered the entirely needless Peloponnesian War, and that poor Athenian government further led to Athens losing the Peloponnesian War (which, on paper, they should never have lost).

Something like a republic is better - we basically appoint an oligarchy to govern us, and if we don't like what they do we can kick them in the ballots come election time. It's not perfect, but I'll take it over mob rule.

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  Quote ralfy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Jul-2011 at 05:46
Total democracy has hardly existed. Likely, we focus more on forms of representative democracy, with government eventually working for or with the financial elite.

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  Quote TheAlaniDragonRising Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31-Aug-2011 at 14:05
Originally posted by ralfy

Total democracy has hardly existed. Likely, we focus more on forms of representative democracy, with government eventually working for or with the financial elite.


I'm not too sure total democracy has been put into practice or a good idea for anyone to do so.
What a handsome figure of a dragon. No wonder I fall madly in love with the Alani Dragon now, the avatar, it's a gorgeous dragon picture.
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  Quote Karalem Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31-Aug-2011 at 15:01
Democracy could in theory only be achieved in a completely computerized society, with cameras watching every step, and one stable legislature. Otherwise anyone who takes office officially or through lobbying will be controlling manufacture and distribution. Since economy of one country is dependent on world economy, there is little place for nationalism without war. The less ambiguity the more chance for democracy. I don't get why people set apart democracy and totalitarianism. Democracy can be as totalitarian as any other system.
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