Chapter 7
Democracy
Introduction
Thus far we have examined normative theories, notably utilitarian-
ism, in their application to political questions, we have investi-
gated central political ideals, liberty, rights and justice, and we
have tackled the problem of political obligation. Much of this dis-
cussion has been conducted in a manner that supposed that there
were two central characters: the state and the citizen. The ques-
tion of the proper constitution of the state has arisen in a variety
of contexts: political liberty requires that citizens be able to take
part in the decision-making processes of the state, the right of
citizens to participate is a crucial human right and, in Rawls’s
theory of justice, is a vital element of the liberty principle. The
form taken by government may well make a difference to the issue
of whether citizens have good moral reasons to obey the state,
since if they participate in democratic procedures, this may wit-
ness a measure of consent to the outcome. It is fair to say that the
background to many of the arguments we have pursued has