Democracy History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Democracy History - Essay Example Leaders are chosen to represent the citizens’ interests in parliament and hence they (parliamentarians) should be accountable for their behavior in parliament. Elected leaders should listen to the people whom they represent and address their issues as expected. Passing a law in parliament requires support of the majority although the minority rights are also protected. Democracy also requires that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner, through the adequate training of political party agents and officials who conduct the process (Spragens, 240). The role of the citizens is to be a public eye on how elected leaders are conducting themselves in office and give their opinions. It is the duty of all citizens to vote wisely, campaign for a particular candidate, protest against bad governance, and attend communal meetings. Meanwhile, participation should be voluntary and therefore devoid of coercion. In respect of democracy, all citizens are entitled to rights which shoul d not be violated by anyone. The rights are contained in the international law which comprises of freedoms that citizens must enjoy including freedom of worship, expression, movement, association, assembly and culture. They are obliged to exercise these rights without violation or discrimination while at the same time respecting the rights of others. In democracy, the rule of law protects the citizens and their rights, and helps in the maintenance of order even as it controls the powers of the government (Spragens, 240). Reason Immanuel Kant defines reason as human beings’ ability to recognize material and immaterial self identify and understand issues, distinguish between facts and fiction, and judge propositions, comments and beliefs (Kant 15). Reason defines the nature of human beings for it is concerned with thinking processes, intelligence, and cognition. It is related to the concepts of science, language, mathematics, art and psychology. The ability to reason is referre d to as rationality, hence human beings are said to be rational beings. A person who cannot reason is irrational. Therefore, according to Kant, rational beings should be able to understand themselves, distinguish between right and wrong, true and false, as well as fact and opinion. Kant maintains that the highest level of reasoning is achieved when human beings are able to establish universal laws. He says, â€Å"act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should be a universal law† (Kant 32). In a democratic society, individuals are free to accomplish their own objectives as they wish so long as they are governed by principles of reason which Kant called the ‘categorical imperative’. An action is only justified if it can fall under universal laws  in Kant’s view (Kant 30). Since reason is part of human nature, human beings have the right to live politically. Unlike other animals, human beings are the only ones endowe d with an innate capacity to acquire language and express their thoughts, ideas and feelings (Kant 34). Speech justifies what is pleasant or not, fair and unfair, or harmful and harmless. When treated fairly, human beings are the perfect animals but when denied their rights, they are the worst. When they lack morals, food and sex, they become perverse. Fair treatment is a political aspect and provision of rights is something of a societal organization. Reasoning helps people decide the type of community that is best for them (Kant, 30). Reason and