What is democrasy ?
Democrasy is a form of goverment in which the rulers are elected by the people. Throughout our lives we are members of different groups or associations, from families, neighbourhood, clubs and work-units to nations and states. In all such associations, from the smallest to the largest, decisions have to be taken for the association as a whole: about the goals to be pursued, about the rules to be followed, about the distribution of responsibilities and benefits between members. These can be called collective decisions, in contrast to individual decisions taken by people on behalf of themselves alone. Democrasy belongs to this sphere of collective decision-making. It embodies the idea that such decisions, affecting an association as a whole, should be taken by all its members, and that they should each have equal rights to take part in such decisions. Democrasy, in other words, entails the twin principles of popular control over collective decision-making and equality of rights in the exercise of that control. To the extent that these principles are realized in the decision-making of any association, we can call it democratic.
Democrasy in society and stage
Defining democrasy in this way makes two things clear at the outset. The first is that democrasy does not just belong to the sphere of the state or of goverment, as we usually tend to think of it. Democratic principles are relevant to collective decision-making in any kind of association. Indeed, there is an important relation between democrasy at the level of the state and democrasy in the other institutions of society. However, because the state is the most inclusive association, with the right to regulate the affairs of society as a whole, the ability to raise compulsory taxation and the power of life and death over its me mere, democrasy at the level of the state is of crucial importance. It is with democratic goverment, therefore, that we shall be mostly concerned.
Democrasy is a form of goverment in which the rulers are elected by the people. Throughout our lives we are members of different groups or associations, from families, neighbourhood, clubs and work-units to nations and states. In all such associations, from the smallest to the largest, decisions have to be taken for the association as a whole: about the goals to be pursued, about the rules to be followed, about the distribution of responsibilities and benefits between members. These can be called collective decisions, in contrast to individual decisions taken by people on behalf of themselves alone. Democrasy belongs to this sphere of collective decision-making. It embodies the idea that such decisions, affecting an association as a whole, should be taken by all its members, and that they should each have equal rights to take part in such decisions. Democrasy, in other words, entails the twin principles of popular control over collective decision-making and equality of rights in the exercise of that control. To the extent that these principles are realized in the decision-making of any association, we can call it democratic.
Defining democrasy in this way makes two things clear at the outset. The first is that democrasy does not just belong to the sphere of the state or of goverment, as we usually tend to think of it. Democratic principles are relevant to collective decision-making in any kind of association. Indeed, there is an important relation between democrasy at the level of the state and democrasy in the other institutions of society. However, because the state is the most inclusive association, with the right to regulate the affairs of society as a whole, the ability to raise compulsory taxation and the power of life and death over its me mere, democrasy at the level of the state is of crucial importance. It is with democratic goverment, therefore, that we shall be mostly concerned.
Very informative article. I was looking for this type of information for a long time. Thank you.
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