Frankly, I don't think the general public should govern itself. (America, church)

[Magic Man]

I made this comment in another thread, and it was suggested that I should start another thread with it, so here it is. Any thoughts?

[Wandered Off]

Who should govern the public, and what would be the selection process?

[Magic Man]

Originally Posted by Wandered Off

Who should govern the public, and what would be the selection process?

Well, I can't give great details, as I haven't thought that much about it, but...the ideal would a monarch who was extremely wise and fully benevolent. Since that isn't going to happen, some sort of governing body would be good. I don't know what the selection process should be. Maybe if I give it some more thought, I could come up with an idea for it, but as of now, I don't have an answer.

[Wandered Off]

Well, what disqualifies the public? Maybe we can start there.

[doppelgänger]

When did the general public ever start ruling itself? Last I checked, this country has a "representative Democracy" the success of which is measured by politicians' ability to gain money and favor by passing laws written by lobbyists. The money is then used to buy media space to tell lies and half-truths to a poorly-educated, passively receptive, and distinctly non-curious American "general public."

I'm not sure I see a role for the "general public" in its own governance in that system.

It's government of the people, by the lobbyists, and for the interests of our corporate masters.

[Magic Man]

Originally Posted by doppelgänger

When did the general public ever start ruling itself? Last I checked, this country has a "representative Democracy" the success of which is measured by politicians' ability to gain money and favor by passing laws written by lobbyists. The money is then used to buy media space to tell lies and half-truths to a poorly-educated, passively receptive, and distinctly non-curious American "general public."

I'm not sure I see a role for the "general public" in its own governance in that system.

It's government of the people, by the lobbyists, and for the interests of our corporate masters.

You have a point. Although, we hadn't actually mentioned this country...yet.

Jerry, my main reason for saying that the public should not govern itself is that the majority of them are either not intelligent enough, or lack other qualities, like benevolence for their fellow person leadership, common sense, or probably others that I'm forgetting.

[3.14]

most people don't care or don't have enough knowlege to govern themself

[Autodidact]

My dad used to quote--maybe it was Winston Churchill? to the effect that democracy is completely unworkable, except as compared to every other system.

[Magic Man]

Originally Posted by Autodidact

My dad used to quote--maybe it was Winston Churchill? to the effect that democracy is completely unworkable, except as compared to every other system.

I agree that it is one of the better systems that has been tried. That doesn't mean it's the best that we can do, though.

[Neo-Logic]

Originally Posted by mball1297

I made this comment in another thread, and it was suggested that I should start another thread with it, so here it is. Any thoughts?

It is said that DEMOCRACY is the worst political system only after the rest. It is not perfect, it has flaws, but comparatively, it is more effective.

John Locke's idea of the social contract makes it sensible that the public should govern itself.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely and no single being can handle power. That is why we have distribution and division of powers.

Think about what a better solution would be, and the difficulty you immediately face (if you used logic), and you would see how thoughtful our system of politics currently is.