[EM] sortition/random legislature Was: Re: language/framing quibble

[Ralph Suter]

Aaron Armitage wrote:

 > I don't think I expressed my point clearly enough: I consider that
 > making the public the active agents in their own governance is a
 > very major benefit of popular government. THE benefit, in fact.
 > Increasing the percentage of majority policy preferences enacted, in
 > such a way as to make the people passive consumers of policy rather
 > than at least potentially the producers forfeits the reason for
 > having popular government. Managing your own affairs is for adults;
 > having your desires catered to without effort on your part is for
 > spoiled children.

Spoken just like an impatient know-it-all father would speak to his 
own ignorant and "spoiled" children.

The pretty obvious truth is that you (as well as several other people 
on this list who have addressed the issue) have barely begun to think 
carefully about sortition and its relevance to democracy. Sortition is 
not only an appropriate means but probably the single best means for 
choosing some kinds of representatives, though not all kinds. The 
ancient Athenians, who chose many of their public officials by 
sortition (but not their generals), understood that a lot better than 
most people do today, including most political scientists.

One thing they particularly understood is that democracy ("rule of and 
by the people") requires not only empowering people of all kinds 
(though of course the Athenians excluded women and slaves) but also 
preventing people from gaining arbitrary power that they are then able 
to wield in undemocratic ways. Sortition is a much better way to 
achieve that goal than voting, which can be manipulated in all kinds 
of ways by clever and deceitful people (especially wealthy ones).

Another thing the Athenians understood is that soritition does not, 
contrary to your unsupported assertion, prevent or discourage the 
public from becoming "active agents in their own governance." To the 
contrary, by greatly expanding the number of people who gain direct 
experience in governance, sortition can encourage public participation 
much more than can elections - especially the kinds of highly 
manipulated elections that are now so commonplace in the U.S. and many 
other so-called "democracies" around the world.

Before doing any more pontificating about sortition and democracy, I 
wish you would take a little time to seriously study it. A good place 
to start is a book by two Australian academics: "Random Selection in 
Politics" by Lyn Carson and Brian Martin, Praeger 1999. It's a 
ridiculously expensive book, but you can read it online at: 
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=15275891

-Ralph Suter