About democracy
1. Surveillance society
Science and technology will make it possible for the government to monitor all people in the country.If all people are under surveillance, they can't commit any crime.
It sounds like the panopticon of Jeremy Bentham.
It's a hot topic in political philosophy.
If all people are under surveillance, they lose freedom.
But if all people can't commit any crime, they can live in a happy society.
It means the trade-off relationship between freedom and happiness.
2. Forms of government
Despotic states will be able to make perfect surveillance society by science and technology.In the future, despotic states will get an advantage over democratic states?
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…" (By Winston Churchill)
3. Defect of democracy
Condorcet paradox is a famous and interesting paradox.And Arrow's impossibility theorem shocked the study of politics.
Social choice theory started from this shock.
If democracy is not the best, what is the best form theoretically and practically?
4. Advantage of democracy
Humans often make mistakes. It's never too late to mend."過ちては改むるに憚ること勿れ" (From Lunyu, Confucius)
If the government of despotic states make mistakes, what can the people do?
Revolt, revolution, coup d'état and so on.
If the government of democratic states make mistakes, what can the people do?
We don't have to kill the politicians.
We can change the policy of the government, and stop the corruption by voting in the election.
5. Liberty
Democracy is not the best, but we can improve and evolve it.It is most important factor to be able to think freely.
Freedom and happiness are both important.
Surveillance society is not ideal.
Is it a utopia or a dystopia?
If the people forget to think freely, they lose freedom.
If the people lose freedom, they find the society to become a dystopia.
- To read this article in Japanese