Democratic Society

In a democratic society,

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In a democratic society, as Max Weber said, what is possible is only possible because some people have demanded the impossible. The abolitionists helped to create a public discourse in which men like Lincoln become possible. That doesn’t mean Lincoln is an abolitionist. It means there is a public opinion out there which is being … Read more

The idea that each

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The idea that each individual has intrinsic, God-given value and is of infinite worth quite apart from any social contribution – an idea most pagans would have rejected as absurd – persists today as the ethical basis of western law and politics. Our secularized western idea of democratic society owes much to that early Christian … Read more

We are governed, our

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We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly … Read more

The conscious and intelligent

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The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. Edward Bernays

Human existence may be

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Human existence may be simpler than we thought. There is no predestination, no unfathomed mystery of life. Demons and gods do not vie for our allegiance. Instead, we are self-made, independent, alone, and fragile, a biological species adapted to live in a biological world. What counts for long-term survival is intelligent self-understanding, based upon a … Read more

Ultimately there can be

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Ultimately there can be no freedom for self unless it is vouchsafed for others; there can be no security where there is fear, and a democratic society presupposes confidence and candor in the relations of men with one another and eager collaboration for the larger ends of life instead of the pursuit of petty, selfish … Read more

Markets are a social

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Markets are a social construction, they’re made from institutions. We in a democratic society create markets, we constitute markets, we bring them into existence, and we shouldn’t turn markets over to a narrow group of people who regulate them and run them in their interests, rather they should be run democratically for the common good. … Read more

There’s just so many

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There’s just so many facets, I think, of the ignorance in our society that have to be corrected if we’re really going to have a democratic society and a society that is just and that respects all of the members of this society regardless of who they are, what color they may be, what sexual … Read more