Democracy is a moral ideal – only ethical decisions can prevent democracy’s decline

Democracy is a moral ideal, itself communal and based on principles of social equality. But democracy, especially in America, has been endangered by autocratic actions instigated by narcissistic behaviors, including violent sub-groups wishing to destroy the very system of government allowing their and our existence. Life is at a crossroads. Richard Roney reflects, “One direction leads to death, destruction, and possibly the extinction of life on earth. The other direction opens new possibilities for the human species, a world where all people have the opportunity to satisfy their basic human needs, where life has meaning and purpose.”4 In a deeply moral sense Roney is optimistic as he faces change as possibility saying, In 1963, Thomas Kuhn observed that the transition from our significant paradigms or exemplar beliefs (be they scientific, ethical, or religious) is a complete Gestalt shift that is inexplicable precisely because it leaves nothing of the old by means of which to explain it. This seems a common predicament as we have inherited the wind of manifold conjectures, inconsistent religious dogmas, and speculative ethical hypotheses all vying for value dominance. Yet, a “complete” paradigm shift is a rare thing, maybe impossible, usually gradual and hardly noticeable as it drags prior assumptions and past habits with it into future discourse and behavior. 3 We inherit the lifetimes of experimentation and learning of those who went before us. We accumulate knowledge and pass it on to others. We communicate through time and space. We deal with abstract concepts. We think about the past and the future…. We know that we are products of a distant past, a past that stretches beyond the twentieth century, beyond even human history. Each of us is connected to the beginnings of time and space, energy and matter, to the beginnings of life itself. We are the end points of a living process. By examining that process, we have discovered the principles that govern survival. Examining these principles, we discover amongst our friends and varying widely in our communities, competing standards and beliefs governing group survival (social, national, and international) often overlapping and impacting each other. And, here in America, although committed to democratic principles, when pressed, many find difficulty expressing their values and understandably are confused not quite grasping the value of ethnic and social diversity in the molding of our lives. Not wishing to offend their love ones or neighbors, many keep quietly to themselves. The past several years of political conflict has definitely convoluted the value and nature of democracy. Unapologetically, it’s both clarity and moral conviction we seek. So, in these tenuous times, it’s not unusual to ask, “How do you interpret the events of 1/6/21?” “What are your convictions about the United States and its present state of affairs?” And, “What is it about democracy that attracts a variety of people worldwide making democracy worth pursuing?” There are many other questions, and opinions vary, some saying democracy is beneficial for achieving personal and collective goals, some claiming democracy is necessary for religious freedom, and others adding that democracies are collectively and morally desirable independent of personal goals. When answering these questions, we can no longer afford to straddle the fence or apologize for pointing out the positive features of democracy. But as we lift up democracy as a moral ideal, we should avoid moral platitudes and take responsibility for our own behavior, for, as we have witnessed, democracy’s internal weaknesses have been exposed, its structures weakened, and its value tilting on the edge of uncertainty. With moral sensitivity, practical reasoning is able to upright the moral ideal that is democracy.