So they [the Government] go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.
Winston Churchill，House of Commons, 11 Nov. 1947
翻譯1:在這充滿罪惡和悲哀的世界上,人類已嘗試過許多種形式的政治系統,也將繼續嘗試下去。人類並未騙自己說,民主是完美無缺的、智慧圓滿的一種政治系統;事實上,有人說過, 民主是最壞的一種政治系統--除了那些已經嘗試過、比它更壞的政治系統以外。
翻譯2:在罪過及災難世界中，人類經常嘗試過又失敗的各種制度不同政府型態，不能佯稱民主制度是完美無懈可擊的，或全然明智的，確實雖然有人這麼評斷民主，民主是最糟的政府體制，除了其他已實施政府體制之外。(*民主並非一個理想的制度，但是人類到現在還未想到一個比它更可行的制度)
所以政治系統就在矛盾之中繼續前行, 它做決定, 只為了不要下決定; 決心改革, 只為了沿襲舊制; 堅定, 只為了當牆頭草; 堅固, 只為了隨波逐流; 掌握一切權力, 只為了要變得無能。
Democracy:
"No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time" - this is a quote by the former British prime minister Winston Churchill. It highlights an important reality: There is no such thing as a perfect democracy, yet despite all the criticism leveled at it, democracy remains the most successful system for achieving peaceful solutions to conflicts. Indeed, right across the globe in differing regions and in different systems people rely on it.
Democracy lives off the work of its citizens. And knowledge forms a precondition to commitment. Only those with a basic understanding of how the system works, and knowledge of the mechanisms and institutions that make up a democratic state can put a lot of time and energy into it. Imparting this information is regarded as being one of the most important tasks of political education, whose aim is the maturation of the responsible citizen.
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What is democracy? Are there different forms of democracy? |
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How has democracy developed since its beginnings in Ancient Greece? |
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What do the most important political intellectuals say? |
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When is a state regarded as democratic? What are democracy's core elements? |
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What does a democratic society look like? |
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What are the problems facing democracy today? |
These make up just a few of the questions that we will be addressing during this Main Subject Group of Democracy. This subject is divided into five basic courses featuring plenty of materials, texts and illustrations as well as special sections on issues such as elections, opposition, parliament, classical authors of political philosophy and much more besides. The aim of this is to sketch out a picture of democracy that ultimately makes clear that democracy is not something that is achieved once and for all, but is a state of being that requires permanent work.
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