Thoughts on Democracy- Enquiry Concerning Majority Rule Versus Individual Freedom (An Old and Rare Book)

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The present work is intended to be a sequel to the author's earlier work, viz. "The Moral Problem In Search Of A Solution" published in 2008, which, again, was intended to be a sequel to his still earlier work, viz. "Problem And Philosophy: A Mataphilosophical Approach" published in 2006. At the end of the Preface to his earlier work, the author expressed the intention to "take up the relation between democracy and freedom in a future work". He has, accordingly, dwelt at length on the said relation in Chapter IV of this book. Besides, towards the end of the same Preface, it was deemed necessary to furnish state-enacted laws with a moral basis in democracy proper so that judicial punishment meted out to violators of such laws could also be morally justified. This justification has been provided in Chapter- III of this book, filling up, thereby, an important gap in the ethics of punishment.

The popularly held view of democracy as consisting solely in getting the state ruled by a government formed by members of a political party or an Alliance, elected to power by a majority of voters, and in having the state-administration run as per policies and principles decided on by the majority of elected members forming the government, has been shown to be one-sided. The complete view of democracy has been sought to be built up by laying as much emphasis on the rule of the elected majority as on the role of the freethinking gifted individual conscientiously opposing the so- called majority decision on appropriate grounds.

Nowadays it has become quite fashionable for rulers of states to profess allegiance to democracy even when they secretly and sometimes openly violate democratic norms, and trample on citizens' democratic rights for one reason or another. Democracy may, therefore, be compared to a damsel presumably of incomparable beauty, whose favours are sought by whoever wields the sword of power in whatever capacity and with whatever right military dictator, totalitarian autocrat, absolute or constitutional monarch, political leader elected as Prime Minister or President, and even such head of state as would like to liquidate the entire Opposition physically rather than politically. But however fervently courted, the damsel is also too careful to bestow her precious favours on any aggressive or arrogant demonstration of love which must, therefore, remain unrequited for ever. Yet the prospect of an earnest suitor beseeching for her favours with all humility, may not also be necessarily bright not because her ways are inscrutable, but only because it is extremely difficult to meet all her demands.

In the book that follows, discussion of democracy has mainly centred round the topic: How can the two demands of democracy, apparently incompatible and irreconcilable, be met such that one can be adjusted to the other in a relation of mutual complementarity? One such demand is for the individual's right of the exercise of absolute freedom to conscientiously air dissident views and to publicly oppose, on appropriate grounds, any majority decision. The other is the demand for the rule of law, exercised in public interest as per consensus decision, by a duly elected majority forming the government in power.