It has become annoyingly commonplace for republics, whether they are the United States or the State of Nevada, to be referred to as democracies,
without regard to the meaning of the word or the implications it brings with it.
A republic is a government in which a restricted group of citizens form a political unit, usually under the auspice of a charter, which directs them
to elect representatives who will govern the state. Republics, by their very nature, tend to be free polities, not because they are elected by the
citizens of the polity, but because they are bound by charters, which limit the responsibilities and powers of the state. The fact that people vote
for representatives has nothing to do with making anything free. The logical consistency and rationality of the charter, as well as the willingness of
the people to live by it, is what keeps people free.
A democracy is government by the majority. There is still a restricted group of citizens in a democracy, but this group rules directly and personally
runs the state. The group may delegate specific tasks to individuals, such as generalships and governorships, but there is no question that the ruling
force in a democracy is not a charter (if there even is a charter), but the vote of the majority. Democracies are free only if the people know what
freedom is and are consistent in their application of it. If they don't know this, or more appropriately, if a majority of the people don't know
this, then a democracy could be just as tyrannical as the worst dictator (see Socrates' forced suicide by the Athenian democracy.)
a democracy will always become a tyranny, either by majority, or if the majority screw things up so badly and a tyrant seizes power from the ensuing
chaos. The overriding characteristic of democracy is subjectivism and that is its fatal flaw. In other words, reason is irrelevant, whatever the
majority wants, it gets and regardless of how unprincipled or objectionable it may be
www.capmag.com...
[edit on 23-7-2008 by alienj]