Questions Leading to Re-Thinking of Democracy: The Sum of All Minorities is the Majority

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  • Presentation speakers
    • Gerhard Eichweber, Value Group, Switzerland
  • Download presentation
    • G.E.-Paper-Re-Thinking-Democracy.pdf

  Abstract:

  Dealing with diversity as a fundamental right not to be repressed by anyone, also not on the grounds of quantitative criteria, be it because of being “better” or because of being “more” – and less because of being “more – and, thus, better” (or “more right” because of an incidental majority), leads to rethinking some of the basic concepts of current understanding of democracy. Moreover, the same fundamental right of diversity, which in the end leads to all people being minorities and, thus, serving economy and prosperity with their different demand, dealing with diversity without repressing others is the central “problem” of thinking, developing and realising any truly “open society”. Regarding theory of economy, the undersigned has published papers explaining the role of diversity of values and attitudes as the origin of diversity of preferences to be corresponded to and served by diversity of offers. Such diversity of offers precisely fitting diverse groups and their preferences requires interest in and understanding of different people and the origins of their different preferences: Culture, dreams, aspirations – and concepts not even dared to desire. Such diverse preferences, which at any given moment are still not catered to satisfactorily, constitute “latent markets”. Developing latent markets for diverse offers better fitting diverse people and their different preferences constitutes special opportunities of success for those taking the interest and serving the latent groups liking, whatever it is, exactly like that, however that is. After all: Is “the economy” not the sum of all individual successes? Thus: Diversity and what drives it, the culture of qualitative distinction, are the “key” deciding over either continued and growing crisis or common and lasting prosperity. Behind the common remark of Democracy being “the least bad system of government” a number of different however potentially equally conflicting and conflictive ideas stick out, but only as a kind of tips of an immense ice-berg. The term “political class”, denominating a self-established “political class” as such, clearly invokes criticism. Can any democratic system not respecting minorities at all be acceptable? How can the current paradigm of democracy, related to the marxist “materialist” focus on generalisation and quantification of all matters, at all be accepted for any “open society”? And how can societies be detached from such prejudice-brainwash?

 

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