What is democracy? Rule of the people? Everyone has an equal voice by voting? J.L. Talmon explains that there is a liberal democracy which allows for trial and error and genuine spontaneity. But he also insists that there is another kind of democracy which he calls "totalitarian democracy." In this school of thought there is one exclusive truth in politics. It is based on a knowledge that the order of government is "pre-ordained, harmonious and perfect...which men are irresistibly driven, and at which they are bound at arrive." As such, politics is the answer to everything action and thought regarding every aspect of life. And the purpose of politics is to take society to this perfect state of equality which will result in a happy, homogeneous society. From this ideology we can begin to see the roots of both freedom and slavery. Dostoevsky stated: "Beginning with perfect liberty, one always ends with perfect despotism."
These two kinds of democracy are at odds with each other. For in one we can see the essence of freedom of choice and freewill. While the other form of democracy believes that the course of history which will arrive at freedom for all must be brought about by any means necessary to achieve its end. Liberal democracy believes that through trial and error society will realize a state of harmony. But in the case of totalitarian democracy there is a determination for direct action to bring the immediate results for the general good, even if this mean coercion in the early phases. This kind of democracy believes that freedom must be done away with in order to bring freedom to pass. This thinking is a realization that people can be better than they are if given the proper conditions. Thus, this form of coercion can be reached by various methods of ignoring unwanted responses, or intimidation, and even coercion to bring about the desired conformity. The question remains though, will the chains or constraints disappear once the desired results have come to fruition?
Alexis de Tocqueville uses the word equality interchangeably for democracy. For him they meant the same thing. He spend eight years writing 705 pages of warnings of the perils of democracy. He stated there are "Two tendencies that in fact result from equality (democracy); the one first leads men (people) directly to independence and could suddenly push them right over into anarchy; the other, by a more roundabout and secret but also more certain road, leads them to servitude." And then Tocqueville ends with this conclusion: "The nations of our day cannot prevent conditions of equality (democracy) from spreading in their midst. But it depends upon themselves whether equality (democracy) is to lead to servitude or freedom, knowledge or barbarism, prosperity or wretchedness."
Yes, there are two kinds of democracy. And we are the ones at the helm now to decide what kind of democracy we want to develop through-out the world. It is our turn to decide, guide and nurture the cause of democracy. Which road will we take?
No comments:
Post a Comment