Why Democracy Democracy A method of group decision

Instrumental Theories Democracy is justified because it produces one or more of the following

Intrinsic: Liberty: Democracy is justified because it is an extension of the liberty we

Intrinsic: Public Justification: What makes laws and policies legitimate is that they are publicly

Public Justification, cont. Why should I constrain my arguments to reasons others can accept?

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Why Democracy? Democracy: “A method of group decision making characterized by a kind of equality among the participants at an essential stage of the collective decision making. ” Two approaches to justification: Instrumental: It is a good method for achieving some desirable result Intrinsic: The method is valuable in and of itself, because it realizes some important value or values (e. g. , liberty, equality)

Instrumental Theories Democracy is justified because it produces one or more of the following benefits: Forces decision-makers to take other’s rights, interests, and opinions into account Makes for better decisions, as it brings in different sources of information and assessment Has beneficial effects on character of citizens

Intrinsic: Liberty: Democracy is justified because it is an extension of the liberty we have a right to over our own lives to the domain of collective decision making. 2 Worries: This is compatible with people making bad decisions. If I am on the losing side of a vote, am I really exercising my liberty?

Intrinsic: Public Justification: What makes laws and policies legitimate is that they are publicly justified to citizens of the community. Democracy is the process of realizing this sort of agreement. Worry: What happens when disagreement persists? I. e. , some citizens disagree and do not think the law or policy has been justified to them? Try: Weak consensus, e. g. , over how to argue politically. Everyone constrains their justifications to reasons others can (reasonably) accept.

Public Justification, cont. Why should I constrain my arguments to reasons others can accept? Moral: It is a way of respecting others as equals. Worry: Is it? What if the person I disagree with doesn’t share my view of persons as equals? Epistemic: There are no justifications independent of what reasonable people believe. Worry: People’s beliefs might be mistaken even by their own lights, given appropriate reflection. Democratic: Democratic equality requires not just democratic procedure, but also justifications others can accept. Worry: Not clear why this is so.