Does Democracy Legitimize Government Authority?

Many people believe that the government has a special right to coerce people in ways that would usually be considered unjust and immoral if any non-government agent did the same thing. So, what makes government so special that it can apparently evade ordinary moral rules that everyone else must follow?

One proposed answer is social contract theory, but we already covered that in a separate event.

Another proposed answer is democracy. Some people believe that a government has the right to coerce people because a majority of the populace wills it to be so, or has given approval. So, for example, even though it would usually be unjust for someone to steal your money even if it's for a good cause, democratic theorists believe that it's morally ok for some group of people (government) to take someone's money against their will (taxes) merely because a majority of the populace has approved such an action, perhaps by voting. And, those same theorists believe that one is obligated to obey nearly any rule merely because the rule was produced through a democratic process.

An objector to democratic theory would say, "No, democratic theory fails on moral grounds. An otherwise immoral action does not magically become right merely because a majority of people give assent to the action".

We'll talk about democratic theory from a moral perspective at the event.

Another topic at this event will be distinct from the question of democracy, but is typically brought up in the same kinds of discussions. The second topic of this event will be about the question of whether there are two kinds of morality, one "individualistic" and the other "societal". Some propose the existence of these two kinds of morality, or two separate sets of moral rules, to explain why it's morally ok for government (or "society") to do some kinds of coercive actions even though it would be immoral for individual people to do the same kinds of actions.

I'll give a presentation on some arguments about these two topics. After the presentation, we'll all chat about it over beers.

This event is a part of a recurring monthly open and public event at this location. The point is to have thought-provoking discussions about themes in political philosophy, economic science, political ethics, and sometimes history. It will not be about annoying petty day-to-day politics, but instead about fundamental principles, usually of political philosophy and economics. It seems to me a good tradition to talk of such matters over beers. There’s something beautiful about it. So, come and join us.

Please RSVP. We'll typically have about 10 people; don't trust the RSVP numbers here because most people are invited through other means.