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To: odds; Cronos

Although Cronos introduced the concept of democracy when I mentioned Athenian literature, up the thread, I’ll take a stab at this.

a. Democracy, by my definition, is direct voting on major affairs, such as was conducted in Athens.

b. Contemporary European nations are not democratic.

c. The United States’s particular form of “representative democracy” was developed under the influence of British political theorists - those fun guys, Locke and Hume, and hard-partying Charles James Fox. These writers were influenced by the experience of the Roman Republic as reported by writers such as Cicero and Plutarch, and a bit of Aristotle and Plato. Our founders did not choose to follow any model or theory fully, but drew elements from different historical sources and theories, paying attention to what had succeeded and failed among the past examples.

Happy Saturday! We’re off to the South Carolina zoo.


82 posted on 04/09/2011 5:16:28 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Buy me a Land Shark and take me to Anguilla.)
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To: Tax-chick; Cronos
Thanks for that. Don't think Cronos has checked his more recent FR pings yet, or at least hasn't recently posted on FR.

b. Contemporary European nations are not democratic.

But per the definition about "democracy" even "representative democracy" in your previously reply, most, if not all contemporary European nations do vote! So, how are they not democratic?

Our founders did not choose to follow any model or theory fully, but drew elements from different historical sources and theories, paying attention to what had succeeded and failed among the past examples.

Thought so. My understanding is that one of the Main theories was that of Cyrus the Great & his declaration of Human Rights, which features more so in the American "Bill of Rights".

87 posted on 04/09/2011 9:24:52 PM PDT by odds
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