Open Left

Dispersive Democracy (4.00 / 1)

As Jeff Wegerson says, all the tools are now in place for a direct democracy. It is only a matter of time (hopefully we will have enough) until people start demanding their own say in political affairs.

I am currently studying for an MA in Political Theory and I hope to do a PhD focusing upon a model that might be workable. The primary reason being that I am certain that the representative method is destined to be superceded and that it is a good idea to look at the alternatives before that happens.
As part of that, I will have to unequivocally reject the idea of delegable proxies. Why? Because it discourages people from deliberating and ascertaining their own positions on an issue. The very reason for their invocation - that citizens have no time to learn about every issue - means they cannot accurately evaluate others' positions either. This is a recipe for demagoguery and a continuation of the very problems that plague representation at the moment. No-one can make anyone else's decisions for them. It is not only a denial of that which makes us fundamentally human - our capacity for reasoned action - it also leads to behaviours that are detrimental to honest debate such as an excessive loyalty by the representative on behalf of the represented, leading to an inherent lack of generosity towards the unrepresented.

Anyone wishing to further discuss these issues, please head over to http://un-representativedemocr... where I have just begun to lay out my own dispersive democratic vision. Any alternative perspectives will be much appreciated!!

---

by: Danothebaldyheid @ Tue Jun 24, 2008 at 06:36:32 AM CDT

I take it that you meant your comment as a rebly to my comment. (4.00 / 1)

I may be wrong and you mean this as a new comment, but for the moment I assume that you are not aware of the nested comment reply feature of this software.

In any case, good luck on your dissertation. From your comment and your two postings at your website, I take away that I would place you in my personal category of idealist anarchist. Indeed I just recently reread Ursala LeGuin's The Dispossessed. I recommend it to you.

Here's what I like about delegable proxy. It's four features actually. One that there is the potential to have more than a single representative; two that your representatives are real time, meaning that you can change them at will; three that you can always vote directly and override your representative at anytime; and four that my vote your cascade upwards as your representative may have a representative who represents you as well. You do understand all that when you argue against delegable proxy, right?

Your arguments against delegable proxy are reasonable and worth concern. And perhaps delegable proxy is an intermediate step between some approach you support and what exists now.

But since we are both talking progressive ideals, we both need to recognize that we would be changing from an oligarchic plutocracy; not an easy change.

Anyway, good luck again with your dissertation.  

Jeff Wegerson - Prairie State Blue

---

by: wegerje @ Tue Jun 24, 2008 at 07:46:32 AM CDT

[ Parent | ]

Thanks! (4.00 / 1)

Sorry, I'm not sure if I've ever posted here before, but if I did it was a long time ago, so I screwed up replying to you.
Cheers for the recommendation as well - I'll go and check it out, I love Ursula LeGuin anyway, and that's not one I've come across. Though the amount of university reading is kind of cutting in to my free time at the moment!
You're right about the difficulty of the change as well - perhaps a delegable proxy system would make for an easier shift, I guess; I hadn't considered it in that light. I found the site that you linked to earlier a couple of years ago and had thought the idea has its merits, it reminds me of Guild Socialism, or possibly associative forms of democracy in its representation by issue rather than territory.
Still, I'm convinced that representation isn't tenable in the long term - not with Open-source forms of organisation acting as guide.
I've gotta go but got more to discuss, so I'll be back!

---

by: Danothebaldyheid @ Tue Jun 24, 2008 at 15:08:51 PM CDT

[ Parent | ]