Because fascism or communism are so much more attractive options?

Re: Overlap, I just subscribed to your blog, so I read 3 of the 5 nominated. There probably is significant overlap.

As you obviously already understand, the win for democracy is not that it comes up with the right answer, but rather that it comes up with an answer that can be accepted without having to resort to violence. It’s an answer that’s already accepted by a majority (or at least a plurality), plus it’s an answer that can be changed in a straightforward fashion if things turn out badly (as long as a large plurality can agree on a “better” solution).

I forgot my comment to Philip:
Please show me one democracy where the state is not engaging in lots of violence.
Also (disregarding the obvious institutional shortcomings in actually representing peoples’ real preferences), I don’t see why the majority has any right to impose their values upon the minority.

“I guess I am a bit elitist in the sense that I believe that the best solution is best chosen by people who are informed rather than the public at large.”
Isn’t this why we have a republic? Of course even with experts making decisions even in matters as hard science the average lay person still has enough ego to give an armchair ‘I could do better’. Heck look at people on the issue of climate change “It’s snowing in my backyard, therefore the scientists are wrong, and I am right”.

@Holmes I’m certain many democracies don’t engage in violence. Many school student councils, private clubs, heck maybe even a few corporations, etc. Or did you specifically mean democratic states? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_without_armed_forces

@ csdx
I didn’t mean only states but all systems which are ruled by democracy, i.e. institutionalized suppression of political minorities. I guess it depends on the definition but I would not consider an organization in which members can freely opt out, and which happens to be ruled by some kind of electoral process, to be a democracy.

I didn’t scrutinize every nation mentioned in the Wikipedia article but as far as I can see they all have access to an army. They also have police, forced taxation and numerous other coercive institutions which, ultimately, are backed up by violence and/or the threat hereof.

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.
— Sir Winston Churchill

I just voted. Good luck!

@ csdx
I didn’t say that democracy was only institutionalized suppression, but institutionalized suppression of the political minority, contrary to communism and other totalitarian regimes, where the minority is the suppressive group. If you have another definition of democracy that is fine, I may be willing to accept that and thus recognize that there may exist voluntary institutions (sports clubs, companies etc.) that are also democratic. But never the less all democratic states do engage in suppression.

You are right, I don’t recognize the existence of the so-called social contract as you can’t be bound by any “contract” that you have never signed. Rejecting the social contract is not a rejection of life of of social norms. It is purely a rejection of coercion.

Because the state illegitimately claims ownership of all land in your “country”, including private property, I have never heard about any place where you can renounce your citizenship without moving to somewhere else.

To add:
“Because the state illegitimately claims ownership of all land in your “country”, including private property”

The way I see it is the ‘state’ is really a collection of people, thus private property is really no different than public. It’s merely semantics whether a solitary lion or a pride of lions has laid claim to a particular area. I don’t see how any claim is more ‘legitmate’ than another. What is ‘legitimate’ ownership of land, how would it come about in the absence of a state (or do you reject the idea of ‘owning’ land entirely)? Especially if you’re rejecting the idea of forcing things upon yourself (and others presumably as well) without violence or the threat thereof.

Also to be an overly literal stick in the mud, yes you can be bound by contracts you didn’t sign, they’re called verbal contracts.

Everyone should have to pass the citizenship test in order to vote.

Studies in the past have found the average registered US voter only gets about half the questions right.

Shockingly, elected US officials typically get less than half the questions right.