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Single Idea 22394

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / f. Against democracy ]

Full Idea

To us the democratic movement is ...a form of decay, namely the diminution, of man, making him mediocre and lowering his value.

Gist of Idea

Democracy diminishes mankind, making them mediocre and lowering their value

Source

Friedrich Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil [1886], §203), quoted by Philippa Foot - Nietzsche: the Revaluation of Values p.88

Book Ref

Foot,Philippa: 'Virtues and Vices' [Blackwell 1981], p.88

A Reaction

It is not clear how a society of natural aristocrats followed by sheep would increase the value of mankind. Nor if the talented people are given total freedom, and the rest of us are servants. The value of humanity cannot reside in a few individuals.

The 15 ideas with the same theme [reasons for doubting democratic politics]:

22575 Ultimate democracy is tyranny [Aristotle]
5895 If one despises illiterate mechanics individually, they are not worth more collectively [Cicero]
13557 Unfortunately the majority do not tend to favour what is best [Seneca]
19828 Democracy leads to internal strife, as people struggle to maintain or change ways of ruling [Rousseau]
19835 When ministers change the state changes, because they always reverse policies [Rousseau]
22394 Democracy diminishes mankind, making them mediocre and lowering their value [Nietzsche]
18331 Democracy is organisational power in decline [Nietzsche]
23166 In democracy we are more aware of being governed than of our tiny share in government [Russell]
23169 Democratic institutions become impossible in a fanatical democracy [Russell]
21526 Unfortunately ordinary voters can't detect insincerity [Russell]
21527 On every new question the majority is always wrong at first [Russell]
23842 Party politics in a democracy can't avoid an anti-democratic party [Weil]
24403 Only small scale democracy is possible, but then it is unnecessary [Walter]
24418 Very few of us really believe in government by the people [Wolff,RP]
7594 Democrats are committed to a belief and to its opposite, if the majority prefer the latter [Scruton]