Can Democracy Be an Agent of Both Power and Goodness?
To Promote True Civic Virtue, Our System of Government Needs an Ethical Compass and to Actively Engage Citizens
Of all the political words that trip off our tongues yet bedevil understanding, one of the most important is “democracy.”
Strictly translated, it signifies authoritative power (kratos) by the citizenry or people (demos)—particularly the lower and middle classes—in the public affairs of a political order. Of course, this does not describe our reality.
We Americans live in a republic, whose laws are made by public officials in whom citizens invest power and authority, legitimating their power over the citizens who are governed. Citizens vote for their representatives, but there is …
