I genuinely consider democracy, broadly construed, to be a strictly more expressive class of mechanisms than any other. It is like Peano arithmetic relative to say propositional logic or first order calculus. It can run programs other systems can’t.
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To be democratic is to recognize that others have as much right to exist as you, despite their flaws (from your POV). As do you, despite all your flaws from their POV. Perfection, perfectibility, or conformity to others’ ideas of goodness/worth is not necessary for you to exist
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This leads naturally to a certain pacifism, a certain tendency to limit your own urges to dominate others, resistance to any impulse towards terminal destruction of others, and minimalism in defense of yourself against such tendencies on the part of others
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Humans are capable of being monsters. Democracy is how you secure your own existence without letting monstrousness in others unleash monstrousness in you. Because seeing others only as monsters, with no humanity, is the beginning of turning into one yourself.
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Don’t be a monster. Don’t let monsters get you. Beyond that... https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1073751685212692480?s=21 …https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1073751685212692480 …
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I personally extend my democratic disposition to all animals, so I’m vegetarian. But I do eat plants. So my generalized principle of democracy is that there are only 3 ways to relate to another living thing: eat it, accept the legitimacy of being eaten by it, or let it vote.
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While I’ll do my best to avoid being eaten by a shark, I accept the possibility as part of the natural order of things. I’m fair game for sharks, potatoes are fair game for me.
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End of conversation
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