Participatory democracy

“Everyone living under the social contract we call democracy has a duty to act responsibly, to obey the laws, and to abandon certain types of self-interested behaviors that conflict with the general good,” (Simon Mainwaring). Mainwaring explains the purpose of the social contract by mentioning the types of traits who conflict with society and prevent it from reaching its ultimate goal, or “common good.” To avoid these behaviors Mainwaring mentions everyone within society must follow the rules…

Amendment I “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The first amendment states that every American citizen has freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and protest. Along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, the amendment was submitted to the states for…

How would you feel if the government started restricting how you did your everyday activities? People have had many disputes between the topic of of requiring to use identification to vote or not for years now. Though voting with identification is highly anticipated, I believe that voting without identification is the better argument due to having the government not have to restrict us when we want our individual rights and to do something, that we choose to do, to be restricted. People agree…

By attempting to rewrite history to reflect modern ideas, the principality of democracy and freedom of speech is taken away from the citizens. An example of this ideal is the definition of a communistic government, which has proven to be an unsuccessful form of government for the past century as can be seen by the fall of the Soviet…

“Anyone who is going to make a proper inquiry about the best form of constitution must first determine what mode of life is most to be desired” (Pol, Bk 7, Ch 1,1323a, 14). In order to determine the most ideal system of government, Aristotle suggests that one must first delineate what is the most desirable life; whether that would be living as a citizen under a kingship, a philosopher under a tyranny, or a ruler under a constitutional government. According to Aristotle, a kingship is a monarchic…

Carl Becker wrote about the “ideal democracy” in a government. The main purpose of his lecture is to make a clear understanding on the nature of democracy. He compares it with other forms of government that confide in a autocracy and the leadership of the few rather than the many. He states his concrete definition of democracy as, “A democratic government has always meant one in which the citizens, or a sufficient number of them to represent more or less effectively the common will, freely to…

fought for the ideas. Democracy and self-determination are the backbones of American identity, so engrained that the US has fought wars thousands of miles of way to spread them to other societies. The Vietnam War, the Korean War, and the Cold War stand as permanent monuments to America’s dedication to democracy as advanced by leaders such as Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman, men whom are all venerated present day. Upholding the American vision of Democracy is expressed in…

the few ways it has failed the nation in making a democratic governance. The American Democracy was made off of many different philosophical foundations based off the Enlightenment that influenced our founding fathers and help with our democratic governance. One of the Enlightenments was natural rights. This idea came from John Locke, a philosopher and writer. He idea is the strongest influence on our democracy. He wrote a book called Two Treatises of Government that was significant because it…

Throughout the history of mankind, we have been inclined to the idea of a central authority. Empires such as the Romans, Greeks and Persians wouldn 't be known if, it wasn 't for their government. Also, Central authority has led to the demise of countries such as the Soviet Union, Cuba and North Korea due to corrupted leaders. In The Anthem by Ayn Rand and “From Declaration of sentiments and Resolutions.” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton both convey the message that the government hinders personal…

LaMontagne, and Lyle Scruggs. "Bribes and ballots: The impact of corruption on voter turnout in democracies." International Political Science Review 34.1 (2013): 74-90. Bribes and ballots: the impact of corruption on voter turnout in democracies is a journal written by Daniel Stockemer, Bernadette Lamontagne, and Lyle Scruggs. The journal focuses on the links between voter turnout and corruption within democracies. The report begins be educating the reader on the definition of corruption used…