Conversation

"Do you need a liberal education? We say that it is unpatriotic not to read these books."

""The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment."

Robert M Hutchins (of Great Books fame)

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.215549/page/n149/mode/1up?q=%22unpatriotic+%22

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.215549/page/n149/mode/1up?q=%22The+death+of+democracy+is+not+likely+to+be+an+assassination+from+ambush.+It+will+be+a+slow+extinction+from+apathy%2C+indifference%2C+and+undernourishment.%22

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@brewsterkahle "and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to *inform their discretion by education*.”

Maybe you can point me to the right direction about this: today we see pretty clearly how un/mis/disinformed masses can ruin democracies, yet I see very little push for basing voting rights on education/knowledge. Why is that? (I know the "literacy tests" in the US were badly abused but this doesn't mean that fair systems are impossible)

I don't expect a full explanation, would be happy with some pointers.
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@buherator
I think voting rights should be based on morality.
Kraterocrats, imperialists, group blamers and judgers, and the like shouldn't be allowed to vote.
But the problem there is corruption from those who determine those people.
One easy fix might be to stop convicted criminals from voting. Just for a period of time, to allow for rehabilitation. Maybe just for crimes with victims. So not drug possession.
Thoughts?

@brewsterkahle

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@light Criminals can be stripped of voting rights around here, but doesn't really change the equation as these people are a tiny minority of the voting population.

"Morality" is difficult: e.g. is it moral to vote if you don't have the slightest idea of rules/stakes/etc?
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