Democracy or Dictatorship

 

"Democracy or dictatorship" is a logical fallacy offering a forced and false dichotomy.

The proper question is, what is the purpose of government? And what is objectively good government? How do we measure good governance? How is good government elected/selected/developed, and how are good candidates for government identified and appointed/elected/selected?

The democratic approach has SOME advantages. But it DOES NOT ACTIVELY SEEK OUT AND DEVELOP good government. It churns and turns and hopes the churn will throw up a GOOD CANDIDATE. It other words, it is a crap shoot.

Take US two-party democracy. A first-past-the-post, winner takes all approach ensures that only two parties will endure. Third parties only sabotage themselves and their allies.

The two parties represent thesis and anti-thesis, and each paint the other as their nemesis, anti-thesis. Pro-Life. Pro-Choice. Pro-Gun. Anti-gun (of course they use more politic words like "2nd Amendment Rights" and "Reasonable Gun Control".) 

Big Govt. Small Govt.

Thesis - Anti-thesis.

Of course presenting the voters with a choice between small govt and big govt is also a false choice, a Hobson choice, a meaningless choice. Because the reality is the unspoken words in the two choices: Small (corrupt) govt. Or Big (incompetent) govt. Feel free to replace the words in parenthesis with your own adjectives.

Thesis - Anti-thesis. 

Because what voters want is not big govt or small govt but GOOD GOVERNMENT. 

Synthesis. But for as long as democracy PRETENDS that big govt is better or small govt is better without spelling out the qualities of GOOD government, they can each campaign on their ideological pedestals, in their silo of values, in their echo chambers and never really need to engage or move beyond swinging from thesis to anti-thesis to get to REAL synthesis.

Similarly (but on the next/birds-eye/macro level), the dichotomy of Democracy or Dictatorship presents the question as an ideological choice, rather than as an objective question: how do we best ensure that we develop and select the best government? Will a dictatorship system throw up the best leader? Unlikely. Very unlikely. Dictatorship is a closed system. 

Will Democracy bring about good government? There is a chance. Just a chance. But within the heart of democracy lies the seeds of populism, and when those seeds germinate...

The problem with democracy is that while it is a more open system (than dictatorship), and it may be a necessary condition for the selection or emergence of good government, it is an insufficient condition. That is, it may be a good starting point. But then it goes no further.