[EM] Practical Democracy

[Fred Gohlke]

Good Afternoon, Andrew Myers

Re: "This seems like a terrible system that will lead to tyranny.
      In a system with n levels, you need only something like
      (2/3)^n of the leaf voters on your side to win. With 7
      levels that's 6%."

I don't understand why you think PD would lead to tyranny.  The 'leaf 
voters' (I'm not sure what they are, but assume they are at the fringes 
of political thought) may form a party and be assigned to triads with 
other members of their faction to select their best advocate, but they 
have no other means of aligning themselves.

At each level, those who seek to advance must persuade two randomly 
chosen peers they are best qualified to advocate the common interests of 
the group.  Whether or not those who are 'leaf voters' can influence the 
selection depends on the value of their perspective to the other members 
of their triad.

During the process, participants will necessarily consider both common 
and conflicting interests.  The ability to advance will depend on an 
individual's ability to reduce the diverse interests of the group 
members to their essential element - their effect on their peers - and 
conceive a resolution that appeals to the other members of their triad.

That does not imply tyranny.  On the contrary, it implies resolution of 
diverse interests by compromise.

Fred Gohlke