Is the Majority the Source of the Truth about the Good?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/acr.3287Keywords:
Democracy, truth, good, majority, freedom, human nature, republicanism, virtue, justice, stateAbstract
The goal of politics is to establish the right legal order. Today according to a very influential standpoint its sources are to be found in opinions dominating in the majority of citizens. The basic principle for people making laws is the will of the majority. This approach is attractive but also contains a serious error. The author critically analyses this position and then gives a solution which goes beyond the interplay of the majority and the minority.
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