In class, we defined Democracy as a ruling style in which each citizen has a stay in the laws. In a small society, it would be a disadvantage because the small population could be swayed easier by a single person than a large society. Small societies will usually have similiar interests and roles in which it's citizens may be able to work together more when it comes down to voting yet could also be negative because a single person could sway the society in a negative direction. However, in large, complex socities, there are many different people with different jobs or beliefs than a smaller society. Therefore, it may be harder for such a democracy to get things done because more people would disagree. Large societies are also at a disadvantage because in order to give the citezens a say in laws, they would need to be educated. Funding education on a large scale would be cumbersome back in that time whereas a smaller society could support the education of its citizens easily.
A democracy would function best in small societies because it would be easier to educate the population and because a smaller group of people are more likely to agree on a subject rather than thousands or millions. Such a system would fail in a large society because most of the people would probably not recieve education and therefore would not be able to make proper decisions.
Some questions for you:
ReplyDelete1) Is it more important for government to get things done or get things right?
2) Is there a way to educate the people about something and not brainwash them?
You are one of the few to point to small society short-comings of democracy! As we go along, be sure to offer contrary views--it helps to spark discussions!