Defining Democracy essays

Defining Democracy essays When formulating my definition of democracy, I was forced to use other examples of democracy as a basis, a starting point. One of the greatest sources of this information lay in Arend Lijpharts book, Patterns of Democracy. In this book, Lijphart discusses different definitions of democracy, exemplified through the use of models. In examining models such as the majority model, and the consensus model, Lijphart offers different definitions of what democracy really is. However, though these definitions may suffice for Lijphart, for me these definitions simply serve as a basis for a more complete and well-rounded definition of democracy, pulled from all of the aforementioned subjects. Before I may give my complete and concise definition of democracy, I must first examine some of the models of democracy that Lijphart mentions in his book. One of the first models of democracy mentioned in Lijpharts book is the majoritarian model of democracy. The to-the-point model basically favors the majority of the people, over the minority of the people (Lijphart, pg. 2). It states that in essence a majority government would be more, by the people, for the people, than a minority government (Lijphart, pg. 2). While this definition does seem adequate and provide a platform to begin, it has its issues too. This model does not account for tyranny of the majority, nor does it account for the lack of political knowledge frequently held by the masses, or the majority. In essence, it does provide one definition of democracy. Another model which resembles the majoritarian model of democracy is Lijpharts consensus model, is the model that as many people as possible is the definition of a democracy (Lijphart, pg. 2). While this model resembles the majoritarian model of democracy, it somehow requires that a democracy must hold as many people as possible, (Lijphart, pg. 2). While this may also appear to be a valid de...