Re: [OPE] Venezuela is the most democratic country in Latin America

Dave Z.: **In a general case, it is quite obvious that what citizens decide in a democratic manner can have anti-democratic consequences. For instance, the NSDAP was elected into power.**   The problem Zachariah points out is usually addressed in Political Philosophy as a problem of the intransitivity of preferences. The key is, in the process of over-voting a minority, what kind of values (rights, institutions, etc.) are being neglected. An extreme and illustrative example: Is democratic over-voting an ethnic group in order to slave it? Of course not.   That is why every democratic constitution has *counter-majoritarian measures*, to protect a core of values which only could be amended under extreme demanding circumstances. Of course, a mature democracy requires a rank and file with enough criterion to distinguish this core of values.   The biggest failure of Venezuelan democracy is to have distanced itself from the good social performance which until 1970 tended to create this enlightened grass-roots.   Regards, A. Agafonow ________________________________ De: Dave Zachariah <davez@kth.se> Para: Outline on Political Economy mailing list <ope@lists.csuchico.edu> Enviado: martes, 24 de febrero, 2009 14:13:35 Asunto: Re: [OPE] Venezuela is the most democratic country in Latin America 2009/2/24 GERALD LEVY <gerald_a_levy@msn.com> You know "for sure" that what the people *democratically* decided upon is "anti-democratic"? In a general case, it is quite obvious that what citizens decide in a democratic manner can have anti-democratic consequences. For instance, the NSDAP was elected into power. In the specific case, allowing officials to be in power indefinitely is a step in the opposite direction of classic democratic principles, in which an individual could serve a limited number of times in office. //Dave Z

_______________________________________________
ope mailing list
ope@lists.csuchico.edu
https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/ope
Received on Tue Feb 24 13:27:20 2009