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 all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. (Emphasis added.)
-- Winston Churchill
-- Winston Churchill
While Winston Churchill's statement acknowledging that there are problems with democracy as an institution is the most famous of its kind, it is not unique. The recognition of fundamental problems with democracy date back at least as far as its first instances of institutionalization. Some have feared that countries that rely on a democratic decision-making processes could face the same democratic end as Socrates. Others have pointed out that democracy has the weakness of being able to be seized upon as a means to attain power by those with extremist tendencies (e.g., communists, fascists, Islamists, etc.), many of whom have no intention of preserving the democratic nature of a country once they are firmly in control of its government. Indeed, warnings about tyranny being a possible result of democratic governance have come from no less historical figures than Plato, John Adams, Alexis de Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill, and John Dalberg-Acton. (You do not need to research their views for this paper.)
For this assignment you are asked to argue in favor of - or against - the view that democracy is the best form of government (for a country), specifically when compared to any other form of government. In other words, if you favor democracy your argument should expound the benefits (and you may also acknowledge the detractors) of democracy versus those of autocracy (or whatever other country-sized and formal system for making political decisions you might choose). If you choose instead to argue for autocracy then your argument should do the same, but in reverse. Please note that this assignment is not an exercise in normative philosophy; It is not the point of this paper to have you argue, say, that democracy is more fair or more ethical than any other form of government, at least from your own personal perspective. In other words, words such as "I," "my," "personally," and other information about one's own surely very genuine feelings -- while certainly interesting to your professor -- do not belong in this paper.
(Hint: The perspectives of the general public, political winners and losers, and the international community, among others, certainly may be considered). Here's the key: In the enumeration of your argument, you should use as many appropriate terms and concepts from chapters 1-3 in the textbook as possible. And while there is no right or wrong answer, the grading of this paper will be based upon the number and quality of your explanations of terms and concepts that you incorporate into your argument, how well you incorporate them into your argument, and to a lesser degree, the persuasiveness of that argument.
While Winston Churchill's statement acknowledging that there are problems with democracy as an institution is the most famous of its kind, it is not unique. The recognition of fundamental problems with democracy date back at least as far as its first instances of institutionalization. Some have feared that countries that rely on a democratic decision-making processes could face the same democratic end as Socrates. Others have pointed out that democracy has the weakness of being able to be seized upon as a means to attain power by those with extremist tendencies (e.g., communists, fascists, Islamists, etc.), many of whom have no intention of preserving the democratic nature of a country once they are firmly in control of its government. Indeed, warnings about tyranny being a possible result of democratic governance have come from no less historical figures than Plato, John Adams, Alexis de Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill, and John Dalberg-Acton. (You do not need to research their views for this paper.)
For this assignment you are asked to argue in favor of - or against - the view that democracy is the best form of government (for a country), specifically when compared to any other form of government. In other words, if you favor democracy your argument should expound the benefits (and you may also acknowledge the detractors) of democracy versus those of autocracy (or whatever other country-sized and formal system for making political decisions you might choose). If you choose instead to argue for autocracy then your argument should do the same, but in reverse. Please note that this assignment is not an exercise in normative philosophy; It is not the point of this paper to have you argue, say, that democracy is more fair or more ethical than any other form of government, at least from your own personal perspective. In other words, words such as "I," "my," "personally," and other information about one's own surely very genuine feelings -- while certainly interesting to your professor -- do not belong in this paper.
(Hint: The perspectives of the general public, political winners and losers, and the international community, among others, certainly may be considered). Here's the key: In the enumeration of your argument, you should use as many appropriate terms and concepts from chapters 1-3 in the textbook as possible. And while there is no right or wrong answer, the grading of this paper will be based upon the number and quality of your explanations of terms and concepts that you incorporate into your argument, how well you incorporate them into your argument, and to a lesser degree, the persuasiveness of that argument.