Earlier in democracy’s history, its operative principle was not considered to be ‘majority rule,’ but instead, ‘majority government.’ This expressed the idea that only those who had reached the ‘age of majority’ should be eligible to vote and participate in government. It was an age at which a person became a self-responsible adult, capable of exercising informed consent, and otherwise could be held responsible for his/ her actions.
In a free democracy, no one ‘rules’ anyone else. But in a democracy based on ‘majority rule,’ that principle no longer holds true.
The Left views ‘democracy’ as a system of ‘majority rule’ under which the winning group is given the legal authority to rule over other groups and individuals, all justified on the grounds of having achieved some kind of ‘majority.’
The Right views democracy as a system of governance in which no one can ‘vote’ to infringe upon anyone else’s right to Life Liberty and Property. Voting is restricted to matters of governance (justice, military, police, etc.) outside of the private sphere of activity. This would constitute majority government as opposed to majority rule. Continue reading »