Progress-focused

(Originally published October 22, 2024) In today’s political landscape, we increasingly see irrationality and cheating being employed as strategies to gain and maintain power. This phenomenon not only undermines the foundations of a healthy democracy but also opens the door for leaders who are willing to sacrifice ethics and integrity for personal gain.

Democracy is under pressure worldwide. In a recent post , I expressed my concern about whether the democratic constitutional state is in good hands with the new Dutch government. For a long time, I had the impression that many people thought and understood that democracy was good. But in personal conversations, I have noticed in recent years that people find it difficult to give specific and substantiated answers to the question, “Is a democracy better than a dictatorship, and if so, why?” I think it would be useful to consider the psychological benefits that democratic systems offer compared to autocratic regimes.

I'd like to share some thoughts on the importance of turning around the downward slide of American democracy which has been going on for decades and which is now accelerating.

A.C. Grayling, an English philosopher and author of many books, has written a new book entitled The Good State. On the Principles of Democracy . In the book he deals in a clear and convincing way with essential questions about democracy, such as:  What exactly does democracy mean?  What are the essential principles underlying an effective democracy?  What is the purpose of governance in a democracy?  How can democracy best be protected against undermining forces from outside and within?  Who should have the right to vote and who should not?  Read more about the book below and why I think it is important.

Nobel prize winner economist Joseph Stiglitz has written a new book called People, Power and Profits . In this book he describes how, since the mid-1970s has been dominated by a conservative ideology which, step-by-step has brought every increasing inequality and the undermining of democracy. In the book, Stiglitz explains what's wrong and what's needed and how to move forward.

Today the general elections are being held in the Netherlands. Here is why I will vote. What is democracy? What are the essential features of a democracy and why are they important? What are the essential differences between democracies and non-democracies and why do these differences matter? How important are democratic rights and how important is it to use them? I answer these questions below.

Below I'll try to answer two questions which I have thought about for some time. First, I'll say some things about the value of democracy. Are democracies better than non-democracies? I'll show why I think the answer is yes. Second, I'll share my thoughts on when leadership of countries should be considered legitimate. I think that two basic requirements need to be met for that. After having explained this, I'll share my thoughts on the legitimacy of the leadership of the next president of the USA.

Science, democracy, and capitalism, some treasured institutions of the world's most advanced societies, in terms of health, wealth, freedom, and equality, are being criticized more and more. I acknowledge that there are some severe problems surrounding these institutions but I think we should not see these institutions as the problem.

Some time ago I wrote about economist Richard Wolff's book Democracy at work. A cure for capitalism in which he argued that capitalism is inherently threatening to democracy and that a fundamental change is needed in the direction of Worker Self-Directed Enterprises (WSDEs) which would be an alternative to capitalism ( read my explanation of this argument here ). While I found the book interesting, I wasn't convinced that capitalism should be replaced. Now, there is a book by another economist, also one who is very critical about current day capitalism and concerned for the protection of the democracy, Robert Reich . The book is called Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and it argues not for the replacement of capitalism but for its rescue.

Recently I have referred to the influence on modern societies of ideas and values from the Enlightenment. Here I call Enlightenment values an important basis for the progress which has happened in the Western world over the last two centuries and suggest that the rest of the world can benefit from them as much (which is actually happening more and more).

In a review of Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature , Bill Gates said that the book "stands out as one of the most important books I’ve read – not just this year, but ever". Who am I to disagree? The book is an unbelievably rich resource documenting the steady decline of violence throughout history. To get an impression of how strong this decline has been, take a look at this graph.