Human fallibility justifies democratic decision-making over imposed certainty
Evidence
Such choices must be reasonable, that is they must make sense in the face of all the possible facts and knowledge presented, and in light of what is best for the community. What we must remember (and what always drives our students a little crazy when they think about it) is that no one can ever be 100 percent certain that the choices or decisions being made are the best or correct decisions. This is because human beings are fallible creatures. We may do our best with our ability to communicate and our ability to interpret the world and our emotional intelligences, but the fact is we are not perfect. β¦ This uncertainty and the conο¬ict that is bound to arise when fallible people come together is exactly why democratic decision-making is the most just way of trying to live together. Nobody can know absolutely what THE answer or the one right way is; so we must constantly be willing to reassess our decisions. β Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education, 379
Categorization
- XREF: Echoes the environmental-ethics thread that no single right answer exists; usable across the polyad as methodological humility in classrooms. β connects to: Decentralized decision-making by those directly impacted is intrinsic to democracy. β Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,β¦, 339; Democracy is endangered by assuming all human action is rational; The impossibility of identifying wise rulers justifies the necessity of democracy β Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 509 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- The impossibility of identifying wise rulers justifies the necessity of democracy
#exemplifies(0.85) β Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 509 - Democracy is endangered by assuming all human action is rational
#corroborates(0.80)