REEXAMINING DEMOCRACY
REEXAMINING DEMOCRACY

Summary/Abstract: Although over the last three centuries classical liberal ideas concerning the purpose of government and law have had a significant impact, more recently it has been democracy that political theorists and economists have been championing, especially for countries newly emerging from regimes of tyranny and dictatorship. The significance of individual liberty seems to have waned. Thus in the Middle East, for example, it isn’t liberty but democracy that’s a high priority for reformers and even Western observers. This is a mistake – democracy without liberty can easily turn tyrannical. What should be promoted is liberal (not illiberal) democracy, with a constitution that stresses a legal order aiming to firmly secure individual rights. This will do proper justice to human nature, to the requirement for personal sovereignty and voluntary communities for all citizens.

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