Abstract
AbstractThis chapter considers arguments that are skeptical about attempts to identify democracy with liberty. David Hume argues that democracy does not rest upon the consent of the governed and that social contract theories are ahistorical fictions. Spooner argues that democracy creates a system of bosses and that voting does not signify consent. Schmitt argues that, in fact, democracy is not the rule of the people as a whole, but always the rule of some people over others, including particular bureaucrats or politicians who make decisions that override what the majority or others want. Nozick argues that democracy replaces the one-headed master of monarchy or slavery with a many-headed master. The chapter ends by discussing contemporary theorizing about the power of a single vote and what this means about citizens’ freedom.
Publisher
Oxford University PressNew York
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