Justification for Democracy

Autonomy, freedom and equality form the cornerstone of the democracy. Autonomy and Freedom suggests the importance of popular government. Equality suggests, every citizen starts off with an equal chance of influencing the outcome of the democracy.

Justifications for Democracy: Intrinsic and Instrumental -

When a democracy is valued as a good in itself and for itself, we assert the intrinsic value of democracy. It means democracy is valuable for its own sake. Intrinsic value of democracy is derived from its moral superiority. This is the only way human race has been able to devise that makes binding decisions on all. Democracy represents a fair moral compromise among people who live within the territory of the same state, but do not share a single conception of the good life.

Instrumental democracy, values democracy as a means to some other end. For example, it may be argued that democracy is good because it fosters competition among political leaders and so gives us a better choice of leadership. Or democracy is good because it makes everyone feel that they were part of the decision-making process. It minimizes the abuse of political power, by distributing it equally among citizens. It encourages people to take responsibility for their political lives.

Even in representative democracies, ultimate sovereignty remains with people. The decisions of  democratic processes are mindful of the interests of all. Democracy is the basis to organize collective social life. In a Democracy, no one person's opinion or interest is of more value than the other, hence the principle of 'one person one vote'. It is based on the idea of the equal moral worth of all individuals and against the exclusion of anyone from the political process. Thus, Democracy is against hierarchy or inherited privileges and discrimination.

Diversity is seen as its main strength and it calls for tolerance for all shades of opinion. It is an open society where there is space for all voices, however unpopular or conventional they may be.

People are given access to information, freedom of expression, association and movement.  Informed uncoerced choices and intervene in the decision-making processes.

Equality is a condition of democracy and democratic societies are expected to devise arrangements which further equality.

Criticism -

As social inequality has the capacity to make formal political equality meaningless, even the free exercise of franchise cannot bring in a responsive administration. In societies where there are minorities based on religion, language and ethnicity, the majority principle tends to work to the disadvantage of minorities, for they may be systematically outvoted; and may never have a real or equal opportunity to influence the outcome of the decision-making process.

As a conflict resolution model, democracy is often identified with majority rule and this raises the problem of oppression of minorities. In plural and complex societies, that are unequal, consensus is difficult to achieve.

People are the best judges of their own interests, and that equal citizenship rights are necessary to protect those interests. The moral value of democracy lies not in the principle of majority rule, but in the principle of equality that underpins it.