Democracy in the Real World: Empirical Breakdowns in the Justification of Democracy

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dc.contributor.advisorSher, George
dc.creatorWenner, Danielle Marie
dc.date.accessioned2013-03-08T00:39:58Z
dc.date.available2013-03-08T00:39:58Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractJustifications of democracy rest in large part on unacknowledged empirical assumptions regarding the cognitive, informational, and behavioral capacities of individuals and voting populations. The goal of this project was to identify those assumptions and examine them in light of data from the social sciences. To the extent that these assumptions are undermined by empirical evidence, the normative legitimacy of democracy as a system of rule is weakened. Theories of democracy were organized along a continuum from purely instrumental to purely intrinsic or procedural, and a representative sample of theories from along this spectrum were analyzed in order to identify their core empirical assumptions. Interest-based, deliberative, and egalitarian theories of democracy were each demonstrated to be predicated on substantive empirical assumptions which were contradicted by the available evidence. A sophisticated hybrid account incorporating aspects from along the spectrum of available theories was likewise demonstrated to be predicated on unsubstantiated assumptions regarding human capacities. A concluding analysis of the circumstances which undermine the assumptions of democratic theory demonstrated the limited tractability of these circumstances, leading to my assertion that a new conception of what democracy is and what purposes it should serve is warranted, and that in the interim, contemporary attempts to justify the dissemination of democracy are undermined.
dc.format.extent176 p.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS PHIL. 2012 WENNER
dc.identifier.citationWenner, Danielle Marie. "Democracy in the Real World: Empirical Breakdowns in the Justification of Democracy." (2012) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/70491">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/70491</a>.
dc.identifier.digitalWennerDen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/70491
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectPhilosophy
dc.subjectReligion
dc.subjectTheology
dc.subjectSocial sciences
dc.subjectDemocracy
dc.subjectVoting
dc.subjectPolitical science
dc.titleDemocracy in the Real World: Empirical Breakdowns in the Justification of Democracy
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentPhilosophy
thesis.degree.disciplineHumanities
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy
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