The "Real Gist" of Democracy

Once upon a time...

John Locke wrote a book that changed the world. Not immediately. And not as much as it could have or should have. But a book that changed the world, nonetheless.

Prior to the publication of Locke’s Second Treatise in December 1689, political philosophers had generally considered a monarchy or an aristocracy to be the best form of government. Socrates and Plato believed those who shared power should be wise and virtuous and they considered wisdom and virtue to be extremely rare. Thomas Hobbes described life in the state of nature as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” and as “a war of every man against every man”. He argued that to escape this condition, people, seeking peace, should form a commonwealth by joining together under an “agreement or contract…by which they all renounced their rights” and “transferred” them to an absolute monarch.

John Locke (1634-1702)

John Locke had a more generous opinion of human nature.

A deeply spiritual man, he placed both individual liberty and political power within a moral framework informed by his theories regarding life in the state of Nature. He stated, as “self-evident” truths, that “all men by nature are equal”, endowed by God with natural rights to “life, health, liberty, (and) possessions”; that “the end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom”, that “the consent of the people” is the only “lawful basis” for government; and that if and when “the ill designs of the rulers become visible…the people are at liberty to provide for themselves, by erecting a new (government), differing from the other, by the change of persons, or form, or both, as they shall find it most (effective) for their safety and good.” [All emphases in original.]

If these ideas sound familiar, it’s because they were immortalized by Thomas Jefferson, who was clearly inspired by Locke as he wrote the Declaration of Independence, which included a concise summary of Locke’s ideas:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

These ideas were revolutionary. Demonstrably so. They inspired the American Revolution - a war that Thomas Paine later called “a Revolution in the principles and practice of Governments”. They’ve been inspiring people ever since. And yet, the political revolution inspired by Locke’s ideas remains incomplete.

The "Real Gist" of Democracy

In 1871, two centuries after Locke published his Second Treaties of Government and a century after America’s Declaration of Independence, Walt Whitman, in his book Democratic Vistas, commented on the fact that the world had yet to see even a true democracy, let alone a Perfect Democracy:

“Democracy is a word, the real gist of which still sleeps, quite unawakened. It is a great word whose history, I suppose, remains unwritten, because that history has yet to be enacted.”

Whitman’s assertion that the history of democracy “has yet to be enacted” might be confusing to anyone who was taught in school that ancient Athens was "The Cradle of Democracy" and that America sparked a rebirth of democracy in 1776 with our Declaration of Independence and subsequent victory in the American Revolution. Whitman clearly believed that neither ancient Athens nor America at its founding were true democracies.

His statement that “the real gist” of democracy “still sleeps, quite unawakened”, implied that most people, at the time he wrote, did not truly understand what makes a government a democracy. The same could be said of many people today. Democracy is a word that is often used a bit too casually and sometimes deliberately misused.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

It is now more than three centuries since Locke wrote his Second Treatise of Government and two and a half centuries since America’s Declaration of Independence, and the world has yet to see Locke’s vision of a Perfect Democracy fully realized in any nation. Less than half the countries in the world today have democratic governments and the versions of democracy in place in more than half of those countries are seriously flawed. Sadly, America is among the countries with a flawed version of democracy.

The primary reason that democracy has failed to take root and develop in most countries and is seriously flawed in many countries where it is in place, is that democracy has, and has always had, some false friends and true enemies who have actively and relentlessly sought to undermine democracy by preventing people from developing a shared understanding of democracy or even agree upon a clear definition of democracy. They have, for the most part, been successful. Even in America.

The work of making a community, state, or nation a Perfect Democracy begins with Politically Active Citizens agreeing on a clear definition of democracy and developing a shared understanding of the elements that make a government a true democracy, as well as the additional characteristics needed to make a government a Perfect Democracy.

Defining Democracy

George Orwell addressed the problem of defining democracy in his essay “Politics and the English Language” (1946). He made the point that "the great enemy of clear language is insincerity”, resulting from “a gap between one's real and one's declared aims”. In that context, he identified some political words that have been “abused” to the point that they have “several different meanings which cannot be reconciled with one another”. Regarding democracy, he said:

"In the case of a word like democracy, not only is there no agreed definition, but the attempt to make one is resisted from all sides. It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic, we are praising it: consequently, the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using that word if it were tied down to any one meaning."

It is true that democracy has come to mean different things to different people but attempts to define democracy are not “resisted from all sides” – only by the defenders of other kinds of regimes – the false friends and true enemies of democracy.

George Orwell (1902-1950

For anyone who is sincere and feels no need to hide their real aims, defining “democracy” is a simple matter. The word is derived from the Greek word demokratia, which was formed from two other Greek words: demos (meaning “the people”) and kratia (which means “have power”). A democratic government, therefore, is one in which the people have power. Another Greek word – kratos, which means “to rule” – is also relevant here. In a democracy, the people rule.

Despite the continued efforts of the false friends and true enemies of democracy to sow confusion, there has been some agreement regarding the definition of democracy. Unitarian minister and abolitionist Theodore Parker, in his sermon “The effect of slavery on the American people”, which he delivered on July 4, 1858, stated that “Democracy is direct self-government, over all the people, by all the people, for all the people.” Abraham Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon, shared a copy of that sermon with Lincoln, who made note of that phrase and later incorporated a slightly modified version of it in his Gettysburg Address, famously describing the government of the United States as “government of the people, by the people, for the people”. Although Lincoln did not use the word democracy in his Gettysburg address, he popularized this definition.

We can define democracy even more succinctly. Government of the people is a given. The people of every nation are governed. Government being “for the people” is rare. Most governments around the world throughout history have served the private interests of a ruling class or powerful elite rather than the common interest. If we want government of the people to be government for the people, we must have government by the people.

DEMOCRACY IS GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE.

Armed with a clear definition of democracy, we can turn our attention to developing -

A Shared Understanding of Democracy

Although a great many books, articles, and essays have been written about democracy, John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government has long been, and remains, the best resource for developing a true understanding of democracy. No one has done a better job - before or since - of describing the essential elements of a true democracy.

The word “democracy” appears only twice in Locke’s Second Treatise. Once, to clarify that a “commonwealth” is not necessarily a democracy and, most importantly, in describing majority rule as the essential element that puts the “form” of a “perfect democracy” in place.

Majority Rule

Locke’s support for majority rule was unequivocal. The word “majority” appears frequently throughout his Second Treatise of Government.

Locke asserted that “the majority (have) the whole power of the community naturally in them” because “every man, by consenting with others to make one body politic under one government, puts himself under an obligation, to everyone of that society, to submit to the determination of the majority, and to be concluded by it.”

Numerous other political philosophers have since concurred, including some of the most prominent figures among America’s Founders. Thomas Jefferson stated that, “It is my principle that the will of the majority should always prevail.” James Madison wrote that “The vital principle of Republican Government is…the will of the majority.”

Locke also identified two other elements of a true democracy that flow from majority rule: an equal vote (or equal representation) for every citizen and the supremacy of the legislative power.Our team is made up of licensed therapists, social workers, and other mental health professionals who are passionate about supporting mental health and wellness in our community.

An Equal Vote and Equal Representation

It is impossible to accurately determine the will of the majority unless every citizen has an equal vote and equal representation. Locke stressed the importance of maintaining “a state…of equality wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal, no one having more than another."

If the people decide to delegate the power to enact laws, he emphasized that “it being the interest as well as intention of the people, to have a fair and equal representative; whoever brings it nearest to that, is an undoubted friend to, and establisher of the government.”

The Supremacy of the Legislative Power

The supremacy of the legislative power is established and maintained by having the laws that are made by the people executed by “officers of their own appointing”. Locke stated that “there can be but one supreme power, which is the legislative, to which all the rest are and must be subordinate.”

A True Democracy and a Perfect Democracy

The “real gist” of democracy is that a government is controlled by the governed. All the members of a community, state, or nation who are to be governed by the laws that are made, and who wish to be politically active, must be able to participate in the decision-making process as major political decisions are made.

Majority rule, an equal vote and equal representation for all, and the supremacy of the legislative power make a government a true democracy. But those elements, in and of themselves, are no guarantee of good government. Several additional elements must be in place to make a government a good government - a Perfect Democracy.

A country that is truly governed by the people is a true democracy. A government in which the people rule and a majority of the citizens who choose to be politically active are well-educated, well-informed, and, most importantly, respect the rights of others, is a Perfect Democracy.

The term Perfect Democracy is normally used as a synonym for direct democracy. Although direct democracy is naturally closer to perfection than representative democracy, direct democracy can be less than perfect. The ability of citizens to participate fully in the deliberative process leading up to a referendum may be limited. Considerably more money may be spent in support of one position on an issue than is spent in support of the opposing position. Ballot language can be deliberately or unintentionally misleading. Voters may be given limited options on issues that naturally have more than one or two possible choices.

Due to the complexities involved in governing a modern nation, a seamless combination of direct democracy and representative democracy is necessary to make a government a Perfect Democracy in the 21st century.

The argument could be made that for a government to be a Perfect Democracy, in the strictest sense of the term, all Politically Active Citizens must be well-educated, well-informed, and respectful of the rights of others. However, just as Locke pointed out that democracies act upon “the consent of the majority” because “it is impossible” to obtain the “the consent of every individual”, we may bestow the honorific of “Perfect Democracy” on a government where most of the citizens who choose to be politically active are well-educated, well-informed, respect the rights of others, and therefore, consistently govern in the common interest.

Perfecting Democracy in America

Although referendums on democracy and our rights are rare in America, and the results may occasionally be closer than we (the true friends of democracy and liberty) might like, when we are given an opportunity to vote directly, democracy and freedom nearly always win. With that being the case, it is reasonable to assume that -

All we need to do to make America a Perfect Democracy is make America a true democracy.

The material on this website is adapted from a soon to be published book: Government by the People: Perfecting Democracy in the 21st Century by Winston Apple.

Permission is granted to share with proper attribution. All Rights are Reserved.

This website is paid for by Perfect Democracy - a 501(c)4 political action committee.

Government by the People

Government by the People

The "Real Gist" of Democracy

Once upon a time...

John Locke had a more generous opinion of human nature.

The "Real Gist" of Democracy

Defining Democracy

DEMOCRACY IS GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE.

A Shared Understanding of Democracy

Majority Rule

An Equal Vote and Equal Representation

The Supremacy of the Legislative Power

A True Democracy and a Perfect Democracy

Perfecting Democracy in America

All we need to do to make America a Perfect Democracy is make America a true democracy.

Join the Campaign to Make America a Perfect Democracy