Daily Archives: March 3, 2010

Does (Liberal) Democracy Make Us Equal?

As political theorist Robert Dahl points out, liberal democracy presupposes that citizens ought to be treated as political equals when they participate in governing. But, according to Dahl, if we ask ourselves why democratic rights should be extended equally to citizens we will find that the answer is far from obvious.

In answering the questions below, please try to get a handle on some connections between the principle of political equality and the modern liberal state, liberal democracy, modern political ideologies (e.g. socialism and neo-liberalism), social contract theory (including Mills description of the “social contract” as a “racial contract”), modern notions of personhood and race.

  1. Why does Dahl think that for most Americans it is not, and never was, self-evident that all men and women are created equal? (pp. 62-63)
  2. How is the principle of political equality a moral, and not factual, judgment? (pp. 64-65)
  3. What are the four reasons why Dahl thinks that the principle of political equality is reasonable? (pp. 66-67)
  4. What are the fundamental rights necessary to democracy itself, according to Dahl, and why are they necessary? (pp. 16-17)
  5. And what does Dahl have to say about his own question as to whether or not political equality is a feasible goal? (pp. 18-20)