Liberalism v. Democracy
I have increasingly noticed the rift and tensions between the notions of liberalism and democracy. Hayek saw it, and mentioned the cult of democracy in his "Road to Serfdom." Leo Strauss saw it, and noted how democracies could only bring down a liberal society, and that the Republic the American Founders had in mind were really "a Republic in which all members are Aristocratic," not a "Democracy." Carl Schmidt certainly saw it, when he noted how a truly unfettered Democracy (or "Parliamentarism") usually, if not always, lead to an illiberal body politic.A liberal polity is one that promotes create such an environment in which its citizens may pursue virtue as they see fit in a truly free and unfettered fashion within the confines the citizenry had previously set forth. The body politic, by creating such an environment and not directly involve itself in setting collective goals, foster a virtuous citizenry.
A democratic polity, on the other hand, focuses obsessively on its pursuit of vulgar egalitarianism and homogenous great society, in which individual members enjoy various unqualified freedoms that were granted them by the big brother state that doesn't come with strings. Freedom that doesn't come with responsibility, so to speak. In a sense, these are no freedom at all. They are candies handed out by brother Democracy.
Or, compare a constitutional republic and a democracy. What do you see in the former? A citizenry that, according to Rousseau, is forced by its own previously declared will to be free. Yes, forced to be free! Free to bound one's own future conduct without knowing where fate will lead it to! (i.e. establishment of a Constitution) What do you see in a Democracy? Weimar Republic? 1st and 2nd Republics of France? The United States throughout history (Marred before WW2 by slavery, lynchings and segregation and after by various New Deal/Fair Deal/Great Society programs)?
posted by James Chang @ 6:33 PM
1 Comments:
I appreciate what you're saying, James, but I think you're giving democracy a bad name-- in the same way the Muslims give us a bad name and we, likewise.
Democracy is like Communism, Christianity, and a great many other beautiful systems that have been badly used. Granted it's certainly the hardest possible political system to make work.
Plato thought much as you have here in his Republic, rule by the wise. Too often the wise are self named.
Democracy is unruly, disorderly, fragmentary. Its beauty waits for a general rise in the level of intellect and integrity.
Actually IMO society is divided between those who love authority and those who love to question it.
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