Why not by lot?

From: scerir (scerir@libero.it)
Date: Mon Dec 04 2000 - 14:36:55 MST


Bush or Gore? Why not by lot?

"The suffrage by lot is natural to democracy;
as that by choice is to aristocracy".

Montesquieu [Esprit des Lois, II,2] wrote:
"Le suffrage par le sort est de la nature de la démocratie;
le suffrage par le choix est de celle de l'aristocratie".

Rousseau [Du Contrat Social, IV,3] wrote:
"Si l'on fait attention que l'élection des chefs
est une fonction du gouvernement,
et non de la souveraineté,
on verra pourquoi la voie du sort est
plus dans la nature de la démocratie".

Actually what distinguishes democratic states
is not much the active rule of the people, but the fact
that citizens stand in a relation of equality (by law)
and that they are treated equally (by law).

"Isonomy" was the original greek name for democracy.
The oldest reference to this term (late 6th cent. B.C.)
is a famous skolion:
"I shall bear my sword within a branch of myrtle
as did Harmodios and Aristogeiton
when they killed the tyrannos
and made Athenians equal by law".

And Greeks, for their general elections,
used "ostraka" and "kleroterion".
By means of kleroterion (a perfect machine)
they drew names by lot. They used ostraka
for not eligible people (thieves, etc.). Ostracism.



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