Achieving Democracy and Equality Essay - 2633 Words

This paper shows why both democracy and equality are desirable, and why democracy, in its true sense, is an important step to achieve greater equality. There are many reasons why political philosophers need to look beyond the one person, one vote conception of democracy to understand why such theories have allowed social and economic inequality to continue to exist. While many democracies do not live up to our expectations in regards to providing equality, there are explanations for this and methods of overcoming such problems. Is equality desirable? The first thing to consider is whether equality is desirable, and if so, what kinds of equality are desirable. For example, should young children have equal voting rights? The consensus†¦show more content†¦Consider the case of the recently proposed Malaysia solution. The proposed deal between Malaysia and Australia would have meant that 800 asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat would be sent to Malaysia as a deterrent, while Australia would in exchange take 4000 refugees from one of Malaysia’s refugee camps. The intended effect was to ‘stop the boats’ and save the Australian government from political turmoil. The people who this legislation has the greatest effect on are the asylum seekers who plan to travel to Australia by boat, and the asylum seekers who are waiting in refugee camps in Malaysia. However, because these groups of people are not part of the demos creating the law, and have no influence on the legislation, are they obliged to foll ow it? While the interests of those seeking asylum in Australia should be considered by the demos in a liberal democracy, this does not give anyone who interacts with the state the automatic right to the ballot and citizenship. In summary, there is a type of equality that each person should have. It may seem arbitrary to argue that a demos is constituted by a particular geographical location, but this is not the case. It is in fact quite pragmatic, as the geographical relationship between each member of a nation-state helps form their common life. Myers points out that there are ‘virtually limitless ways in which human beings might be equal or unequal.’ From birth, individualsShow MoreRelatedStrengths Of Social Democracy1073 Words   |  5 PagesIs social democracy an effective means to achieving Marxist socialism? Marx and Engels’ Communist Manifesto (1888) outlined a prediction that the proletariat class would seize state power and abolish capitalism through collective ownership of resources and industry, leading to a socialist society founded on equality, leading to communism. 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