‘Freedom’ & ‘democracy’, two words that like many others have lost much of their meaning due to Orwellian doublespeak, intellectual dishonesty or just plain confusion. Their meanings have been so degraded, that it is difficult, if not impossible, to discuss them effectively. 1/11
Taking a moment to define important words like ‘freedom’ & ‘democracy’ allows us to reclaim their true ideals and allows us to talk about our shared values and visions. 2/11
Freedom means being able to use our own cognitive abilities to make decisions for ourselves. But does freedom mean I could do ANYTHING I want? Can I punch a random person in the face? Obviously not. But, why? Because now my decision is AFFECTING someone else. 3/11
Democracy is more than voting. It’s more than majority vote. It’s more than even consensus. Real democracy means those AFFECTED by a decision get to have a say in that decision. How much of a say? A say proportional to how much the decision affects them. 4/11
The corollary to true democracy is that those who are not at all affected by a decision should have no say in that decision. 5/11
Image 13 board members of a New York-based corp. vote unanimously to save millions of dollars by dumping their toxic waste into Lake Michigan. Even though a vote occurred, this is not democratic. Even though it was a unanimous vote, it still is not democratic. Why? 6/11
Because the people most AFFECTED by the decision (i.e. people living near Lake Michigan) were excluded from the vote. Central to the meaning of freedom & democracy is WHO IS AFFECTED. 7/11
If a decision only affects me, only I should have a say. If a decision only affects you, only you should have a say. If a decision affects us both equally, we should both have equal say. If a decision affects you a lot & me only peripherally, then you should have more say. 8/11
If a decision only affects your neighborhood, only people in your neighborhood should have a say. If a decision only affects your community, only your community should have a say, etc. 9/11
When we say we want freedom & democracy, what we really mean is we want to use our cognitive abilities & have a say in decisions that affect our lives. We want the same for others. So that means we want a say in decisions proportional to how much the decision affects us. 10/11
Some argue this definition is too idealistic. Perhaps. But we are not saying it’s 100% attainable in every situation. We are saying that this is the ideal we are striving for: People having a say in the decisions that affect them, proportional to how much it affects them. 11/11
