Intro = meaning of democracy, how it changed in history. Democracy does not coincide with republic.
(example of plato's symposium). Direct vs Representative
J Plato = criticism of democracy = philosopher rules
A Aristotle = In democracy, rule is by and for the needy. In contrast, rule of law or aristocracy
(literally, power [rule] of the best) or even monarchy, where the ruler has the interest of his country at
heart, are better types of government. Government, Aristotle says, should be by those people with
enough time on their hands to pursue virtue
J Hobbes = he describes democracy as the least stable and most partial form of government. The first
in order of time and the last in order of safety, Hobbes criticizes democracy for being prone to discord
and -in his words- as easily seduced by Orators as water drawn upon a plain Table is guided by a finger.
Hobbes believed that humans were basically selfish creatures who would do anything to better their
position. Left to themselves, he thought, people would act on their evil impulses. According to Hobbes,
people therefore should not be trusted to make decisions on their own
The best government was one that had the great power of a leviathan. Hobbes believed in the rule of a
king because he felt a country needed an authority figure to provide direction and leadership. Because
the people were only interested in promoting their own self-interests, Hobbes believed democracy
would never work.
A Locke
J Kant = (1795) opposed direct democracy since it is "necessarily despotism, as it establishes an
executive power contrary to the general will; all being able to decide against one whose opinion may
differ, the will of all is therefore not that of all: which is contradictory and opposite to liberty." Instead,
Kant favors a constitutional republic where individual liberty is protected from the will of the majority.
A Rousseau = general will is public interest vs will of all (sum of particular wills). People when
voting, vote for particular will. Rousseaus's democracy = direct democracy. Rousseau roughly
distinguishes three forms of government. When all or most of the citizens are magistrates, the
government is a democracy. When fewer than half the citizens are magistrates, the government is an
aristocracy. When there is only one magistrate (or in some cases a small handful of magistrates), the
government is a monarchy. There is not one form of government that is best for all. Rather, as
Rousseau has already noted, the larger the population, the fewer magistrates there should be. Thus,
large states are well suited to monarchy, small states to democracy, and intermediate states to
aristocracy. When the government and the sovereign are the same body, there is a great danger that the
combining of legislative and executive functions will corrupt the laws and lead to the ruin of the state.
A successful democracy would need to be small, with simple and honest citizens who have little
ambition or greed
