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Full Idea
Whether in every people this superiority of the majority to the few excellent people can exist is not clear. In some of them this cannot possibly be so, since the same argument would apply to wild beasts.
Gist of Idea
In many cases, the claim that the majority is superior would apply equally to wild beasts
Source
Aristotle (Politics [c.332 BCE], 1281b18)
Book Ref
Aristotle: 'Politics', ed/tr. Reeve,C.D.C. [Hackett 2017], p.67
A Reaction
He also gives reasons why it is plausible to think that the judgement of the majority is superior. It seems crucial that the majority have some education. Education is pointless if it is always overruled by the uneducated.
| 22549 | In many cases, the claim that the majority is superior would apply equally to wild beasts [Aristotle] |
| 7238 | Minorities only accept majority-voting because of a prior unanimous agreement [Rousseau] |
| 23530 | The great danger of democracy is that the oppression of the minority becomes unobjectionable [Hart,HLA] |
| 20287 | If 49% of the population can be wrong, so can 51% [Singer] |
| 23253 | Majority decisions are only acceptable if the minority interests are not vital [Grayling] |
| 20509 | Occasional defeat is acceptable, but a minority that is continually defeated is a problem [Wolff,J] |