Right here in this world, right here for the time being, do you think that the democratic way of government the best choice for every culture and for every people? If so, please give your reasons/arguments, if not, please also give your reasons/arguments. Personally I strongly believe it is a gradual process, not a hasty one.
In principle, “democracy” as a form of government is universally applicable—at least in its most basic etymological form. The problem lies, however, on whether it can be adjectivized by different groups and peoples. For example, we know we can have a “liberal” democracy, we also know most Western developed societies find themselves within a “neoliberal” form of democracy (characterized by the unfettered rulings of capitalism and the withdrawal of the state from the public realm). In contrast, there are also socialist democracies, which reject this economic framework while retaining the basic etymological definition of a democracy as the rule of the majority.
In this sense, I think democracy can be adjectivized in order to legitimately represent local ways of life and alternative visions of what a political community should look like.
There is a great deal needed to be in place, such as extended levels of education, experience in community offices, identifying of separate points of view, communication systems, free media, extensive middle-class, and of course a learned tolerance of other points of view. Power of religious bodies at a minimum.
In principle, “democracy” as a form of government is universally applicable—at least in its most basic etymological form. The problem lies, however, on whether it can be adjectivized by different groups and peoples. For example, we know we can have a “liberal” democracy, we also know most Western developed societies find themselves within a “neoliberal” form of democracy (characterized by the unfettered rulings of capitalism and the withdrawal of the state from the public realm). In contrast, there are also socialist democracies, which reject this economic framework while retaining the basic etymological definition of a democracy as the rule of the majority.
In this sense, I think democracy can be adjectivized in order to legitimately represent local ways of life and alternative visions of what a political community should look like.
Democracy often takes different forms--direct, representative, hybrid. I would say democracy, yes, but not necessarily so-called "liberal" democracy. Sometimes, democracy is often at odds with the capacities and structures of government institutions. Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew made a point to separate value/structural differences in Asian cultures from the West. Citizens have embraced democratic values/traditions, or at least pined for greater inclusion and political participation in nearly every corner of the globe, (South Africa, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tunisia, Egypt) but have been unable to overcome authoritarian controls or means of repression.
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