Is democracy really the best form of goverment? What about meritocracy?

Question

Americans have it in their mind that democracy is the best form of goverment, yet statistically it is the worst form of goverment, usually leading to the take over by economic interests, such as lobbysts, mobs, and generally ignorance.

Meritocracy is the rise by merit, who else should lead us, but the best?

America's success has not been labeled by academics due to democracy, but rather, due to the checks and balances in our goverment and our market economy, not our goverment base. In fact, it has been labled inefficient, hypocritical and not stable over time.

trafficer---

That could happen, internet--the evolution of the internet? I think that would be a very good form of goverment. But that would evolve everything....

we are talking about our current methods...that is for the future...the very evolution of the human being, being able to inject knowledge directly into the brain...this would evolve everything and our society...

my question is pertaining about our current setup of human dynamics. What form of goverment based on that.

darius, I don't think our leaders really rose by merit or are the best of our population....

There are many scientists, academics, political historians, political technicians that could enhance decisions a lot more than the administration we have in implementation now.

Our culture does not give the due merit to academicians, instead, we place it on the superficial materialism.

I suggest that we have economic lobbyists because they represent the companies that can make a bigger bang on our economy (prosperity), yet have very intelligent (geniuses) people in goverment, as well as honest and moral individuals in power. Instead of the crap and the poltical campaigning that is done now.

merit is a matter of opinion?

well just vote---what should be the attributes that are essential in the best?

I would say, intelligence, honesty, and morality are three that are essential.

Those are absolute qualities that cannot be misconstrued through opinion.

The American system is a very good system, if you take america as a model, its like a democratic meritocracy, but its more on the democratic side---but its kept in balance through checks and balances, only allowing good leaders take over---by this I mean, not a random idiot on the street.

In other countries around the world, however, the people are ignorant and inexperienced polticially, therefore they get swayed by demogogues in a "dumbacracy" ---

why not have meritocratic goverments sponcered by companies that specialize in political propaganda and has graduates from the best universities in america to run countries and get them out of their holes...setting up a good set of checks and balances, and then leaving.

and is communism really that bad? can you not supply enough incentive, but in the third generation of inhereted wealth everything goes back to the goverment? or in 70 years everything goes back to the goverment...therefore you have a goverment that is fair, where people are not born into wealth and do not deserve this, while still allowing economic freedom?

g---

yea, your like the journalists that say there are two sides to evil---

You can make an SAT type test, that measures intelligence, wisdom, and knowledge,

and I bet they could develope a psychological test for sinceirty and integrity,

just with those two barriers, you could get a good set of people.

Then you could have people vote for the moral and honest if you want...

jesus, it doesn't have to be exact, jsut as long as you get the best up there...

the ones in the 99% --- the same is done in colleges.

just turn the goverment into a college electorate of academics, scientists, etc.

you could even choose the ones based on their own fields---liek the best scientist in his field, the best historian in his field and you get THE ELITES OF THOSE CATEGORIES to vote for the best

whatever, there are many ways of doing it, jesus christ.

Answer 1

all of the "ocracys" are simply means to choose a ruler, or group of rulers. What is important is the coercive nature of all of their policies and power, which seems ever increasing. Democracy in its true form is impossible for everyone cannot vote, babies cannot, the comatose, so limits are inevitably arbitrarily chosen, the age of 18 seems to be a popular one, with various other exclusions, in china a democracy of sorts still exists, with different exclusions. A meritocracy is another method of picking those whom lay claim to "rule" us. But what should be essential is individual liberty, not just a right to choose a new master, but to be masters of ourselves, each with the right to our own lives and the fruits therein. And it is a violation of those rights which should be wrong. We all live in various systems, which lay claims of superiority to that right, we are told what we can do and the products of our labor are taken from us, at preset, arbitrary, and ever increasing levels, higher than most of us imagine, think about it... income tax, sales tax, property tax, luxury tax, manufacturing taxes, resource taxation, duties, quotas, subsidies, inflation. We pay an incredible amount, to the very ones who enslave us, for a slave is simply one who produces while another disposes of that product. So when discussing the "ocracys", remember its what the rules are, not how the rulers are picked.

Answer 2

America was not created as a democracy. The framers of the Constitution created a Republic (for which it stands - get it). Democracy is nothing but mob rule. It is the tyranny of the majority always succeeding over the minority. Democracy is best illustrated by two wolves and a sheep voting over what to have for supper.

The federal government, at it's inception, was to have virtually nothing to do directly with the people. It was created primarily as a neutral arbiter to settle mostly trade disputes between the states. Since the Southern states walked out of Congress in 1860, there has been no lawful Congress convened. By the time the Southern states were allowed back into the union, Washington DC had become a corporation, and therefore a corporate entity. (Incorporated Feb 10 1868, reincorporated in 1871, and reincorporated once more in 1875). The District of Columbia, unbeknownst to most Americans, is now the State of New Columbia, with its own flag and everything (look it up).

The American Republican form of government was turned into a complex democracy with the passage of the 17th Amendment, whereby Senators - rather than being appointed by the State legislatures as the Constitution mandates - were chosen by the people, thereby destroying anything that resembled States' Rights.

Democracy, as the framers knew, always devolves into a socialist state that eats itself alive by taking from those that have and giving it to those that don't - until such time that nobody has and the entire society collapses. See the recent collapse of the Soviet Union as a prime example of why socialism fails.

So, democracy is not the best form of government. The best government is the one that intrudes the least into peoples' lives. And that, despite its flaws, is a Republic - which the USA used to be, but sadly is no more.

Answer 3

Rise by merit... but what merits? Are we saying the most intelligent? The most patient? The strongest?

If that was the case, you would rule out a lot of people from government.

As a note, the United States is not a democracy. Democracy is when the people, the citizens make the decisions. Our founding fathers knew that doing such would be disatorous. The United States is what is called a Democratic Republic. The citizens elect people to represent them in the governement (supposedly the best, based upon their merits) and they run the country.

So, you could say that in a sense, the United States is a Democratic Meritocracy.

Answer 4

I think of the forms as a text book. If you have a teacher and partners in front of you then learning and training with them will be the best way to practice. However once you are home or have a short term leave where you won’t have an instructor and a partner the forms becomes your best source of learning. Think of the forms also not as a preplanned battle tactics, but as a math text book. You’ll learn 2+3=5, 5+3-2=6, and that 5*2+3-4=9. Will you use these exactly as they are? You’ll add 2 apples and 3 oranges to get 5 fruits, but you won’t have to add 5 apples to 3 oranges then take out 2 apples to get 6 fruits so much. But the idea is to train the most basics and more likely so that when faced with a new situations then you’ll know the principles by heart and come up with brand new solutions to questions you never have been asked.

Answer 5

Try picking up this book "Theories of Democracy" by Frank Cunningham. It reveals many faults and inconsistencies with democracy.

HOWEVER...democracy is such a VAGUE word. There are so many types of democracy. For example, there is direct democracy which is its truest form (in which all citizens are directly involved with a state's political affairs) then again there is the democracy in which the tyranny of the majority prevails and minority rights are almost abolished.
And then there are those places where you have democracy and the people elect a dictator....So it is easy for you to say that democracy is the worst kind of government.
But some would argue it is a lot better than tyranny or socialism.

Aristotle proposed a polity where there is a large middle class and only the wise rule.

Most governments and their bureaucracy already base their positions on meritocracy.

Personally, I think a very sort of right-wing or very-left wing form of government is best, but what do i know...

Answer 6

I believe the best form of government is something along the line of a beehive or ant colony. However, this would require some kind of telepathic ability or some technological solution like the Borg Collective.

Answer 7

you said "I would say, intelligence, honesty, and morality are three that are essential.

Those are absolute qualities that cannot be misconstrued through opinion."

but morality, intelligence and honesty are VERY much subjective... like many consider Bush to be very moral, while others do not... same with moral...

how do you measure these vague ideas... and out of millions of people, many will be very close, so it has to be a very exact system...

I don't know how you would measure these ideas...

Answer 8

Democracy has led us to be the World's only superpower in little over 200 years. I'd say its working pretty well. If only we could get rid of liberals and socialist...same thing.

Answer 9

Technically, the U.S.A. is a republic, which is a state governed by representatives that the people elect.

A true democracy is a state in which the people hold the supreme power. -RKO-

Answer 10

No its not,not every country and people are prepare to everything a democracy implies.Not everyone should vote if they dont pay taxes and they are not capable to think what consequences their vote will have.