If there is a religion in the modern world, it is the fanatic belief in democratic self-governance. From a philosophical perspective, the legitimacy of democratic self-government requires the notion of a public forum - a democratic corpus, a public sphere formed by citizens, if you will - to frame, debate and discuss political issues and events, free from "government … [Read more...] about Case Study on Democratic Self-Governance: NSA Oversight, a Straight Game of Poker?
democracy
Eric X. Li: A tale of two political systems (李世默:两种制度的传说)
Eric X. Li, whom both YinYang and I know personally, recently gave this TED presentation on the ideological worship of two political systems - communism ... and electoral democracies. As usual, I find Li's perspective insightful and interesting. It certainly takes guts to stand up and speak against the predominant religion in the world! Now I appreciate even more how Galileo … [Read more...] about Eric X. Li: A tale of two political systems (李世默:两种制度的传说)
Opinion: Why There Is So Much Pro-War Reporting in the West? A Comment on Bloggers, Tyranny, and the Fourth Estate
Once in a while one runs into articles that seem to fly against convention wisdom, that seem to tear at the veil of world injustice, that seem to open one's eyes to provide insight into the causes of so many of today's ills. This article titled Why There is So Much Pro-War Reporting from "the Big Picture" blog is one of them. In reading this article, I note how the article … [Read more...] about Opinion: Why There Is So Much Pro-War Reporting in the West? A Comment on Bloggers, Tyranny, and the Fourth Estate
中共的生命力——后民主时代在中国开启 – “The Post-Democratic Future Begins in China” by Eric Li
In his latest essay (in both Chinese and English), Eric X. Li wrote, "Many developing countries have already come to learn that democracy doesn't solve all their problems. For them, China's example is important. Its recent success and the failures of the West offer a stark contrast." Of course, Li is not arguing that democratic systems are invalid. He merely argues that the … [Read more...] about 中共的生命力——后民主时代在中国开启 – “The Post-Democratic Future Begins in China” by Eric Li
Three Common Myths about Democratic Institutions
It is obvious to any China watcher that in the western media, there is ample criticism and exposure of the numerous social and political side effects that accompanies China's rapid modernization. Three such side effects seem more frequently mentioned than the rest: abuse of unaccountable power, the rise of violent civil unrest, and the growing wealth gap between rich and poor. … [Read more...] about Three Common Myths about Democratic Institutions