[Peace-discuss] Drinking the Kool-Aid

[David Green]

I've often felt that the notion of the "tyranny of the majority," usually referenced to Tocqueville, is either propagandistic or misinterpreted. It seems most often used (although I'll grant not in this case) by those who prefer a tyranny of the elite, in order to pretend that they are protecting individual rights against the mob while they steal the people blind. In reality, they're protecting their rights to accumulate power and property to the detriment of the common good, as well as fundamental individual rights, like basic survival. It would seem that the Bill of Rights should have addressed such concerns. Is it the majority that does not agree with it? The notion of a majority implies not a mob manipuated by a demagogue, but a democratically constituted government. Why does this need to be "balanced" against any other concept in order to promote liberalsim? If it is authentically practiced, it will be perfectly consistent with liberalism.
   
  DG

Bob Illyes <illyes at uiuc.edu> wrote:
  You're right, Bob, but there is an important issue that is getting 
submerged in the argument about Obama (which has become quite annoying). By 
ignoring this underlying issue, the argument can be continued indefinitely, 
to the detriment of most folks on this list.

Carl writes "A good leader would seem to be in the first place one who 
serves the interests of the majority, not the opposing interests of a 
minority." And then quotes James Madison as having said about the 1787 
constitution that its goal was not democracy, which he and his good 
colleagues saw as dangerous, but "to protect the minority of the opulent 
against the majority."

There is a middle ground, represented by liberalism, which is a compromise 
between majority rule and individual liberty- a difficult balancing act, 
but a worthwhile one in my estimation, but apparently not in Carl's. His 
"serves the interests of the majority" morphs easily into "the greatest 
good for the greatest number", which should give one pause. It could be 
used to justify slavery, for example, although I'm sure that this isn't 
Carl's intent.

Bob

_______________________________________________
Peace-discuss mailing list
Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss


       
---------------------------------
Never miss a thing.   Make Yahoo your homepage.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/peace-discuss/attachments/20080206/d99bb929/attachment.htm