# Politics and Democracy **Democracy is "a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them."** [^1] [^1]: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=democracy ## Importance of Freedom of Speech and Education Democracy relies on people making informed and educated decisions. As such the freedom of speech and a good educational system are essential in a democracy. For more see [[Importance of Freedom of Speech in a Democracy]] and [[Importance of Education in a Democracy]]. ## Focus on Elections Defining democracy with a focus on elections and representation is a widely accepted viewpoint in the western world. But there's also this line or argument: [[Every Year, This Is by F...|Every year this is by far the most interesting study on democracy]]. ## Democracy vs. Autocracy [[John Stuart Mill]] was at times skeptical of democracy being used as a guarantor of freedom, arguing that freedom is no less at risk from the empowered many than from a single sovereign. ## Populism and Social Media Political division has proliferated to the point that people are obsessed with politics out of fear of the other side and thus completely unwilling to make any concessions, making democracy less viable as a governing method. Sam Harris put described this as a ![[285 - American Division#^e0vsk1]] It has been argued that social media gave rise to populism and is detrimental to modern society. For more see [[How Social Media Impacted Modern Society]]. ## Pragmatism in Politics In a democracy, politicians tend to promise a lot and under-deliver. This is often pragmatic and in some cases even desirable. See [[Politicians Lie. And You Want Them To.]] ## Categorization and the Political Compass For categorization of politics see: - [[Political Spectrum - Wikipedia]] - [[The Political Compass - Wikipedia]] ## Similarities with Religion If [[Morality and Religion|religion]] is defined as a moral standard, it could be argued that politics and religion are two sides of the same coin. ![[The Bear and the Dragon#^s5z5kn]] ## Marriage in Politics Marriage can be thought of a religious concept for regulating sex. The public borrowed the concept to impose its own standards, which are often in line with the church but sometimes drive the discourse as well (such as the acceptance of gay marriage in some religions). For more see [[Thoughts on Marriage]]. ## Gun Control Gun control is one of the ongoing issues in American politics especially. Along with abortion, it is one of the leading issues causing division in American society. For more see [[Thoughts on Gun Control]]. ## Conservatism - [[Conservatism Stymies Progress]] - [[Exceptional Outsiders Are Often Used to Extend Conservatism]] ## Foreign Policy of World's Superpowers See [[Thoughts on Hegemony]]. ## Politics and Power Dynamics It seems that power dynamics are intertwined with politics. For more see [[Power Dynamics]]. ## The United States Constitution - [[The First Amendment]] - [[Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia|The Tenth Amendment]] - [[The Great Compromise of 1787]] - [[Electoral College]] - [[National Popular Vote Interstate Compact]]