Eight Billion Cheers for Direct Democracy: Direct Democracy is Humankind’s Last, Best, and Only Hope

Eight Billion Cheers for Direct Democracy presents a compelling and comprehensive defense of direct democracy. It argues that direct democracy — as opposed to such token democracies as India, the Russian Federation, or the United States — provides the best hope for a free, just, prosperous, peaceful, and sustainable future. It defends the direct democracy framework as it was once practiced by the Athenians and other Greeks, and as it is practiced today by some subnational groups. It specifically indicts such minority-ruled systems as representative “democracies,” oligarchies, theocracies, president-for-life arrangements, and dictatorships.

By consciously trying to avoid the narrow vision of specialists, the more holistic approach of this book enjoys distinct advantages. It makes the case for direct democracy far more compelling. It underscores the urgency of replacing current political systems with direct democracy. It explains why, paradoxically, most people are, at best, lukewarm about the idea of governing themselves. It allows us to see that, far from being an oddity, direct democracy is the default condition of human societies. By covering Athens and Switzerland at great length, it allows us to appreciate the achievements, intricacies, and potential of direct democracy. By comparing direct and representative democracies, it allows us to see that we can do better than we are doing now, and that we can do so by combining the best features of both. By providing a few present-day illustrations, it shows that direct democracy can accomplish just as much now as it did in the past. Finally, this approach provides useful blueprints for the implementation of direct democracy in the contemporary world.

Chapter 1 shows that humanity is unwisely, suicidally, scandalously, and heartlessly governed, thereby providing the rationale for the main theme of this book: A search for a free, sustainable, just, and peaceful system of governance. Chapter 2 argues that the rulers of humankind have always dreaded direct democracy, and hence resorted to propaganda, phony arguments, distortions, and oppression to make sure that real democracy never rises again. Chapter 3 shows that direct democracy prevailed everywhere throughout most of human existence, and hence, that liberty, equality, fraternity, stability, cooperation, and happiness are the default, naturally-occurring, condition of human beings. Chapter 4 reconstructs the democratic governance of ancient Athens and its unparalleled achievements, then shows that the Athenians achieved so much precisely because they were free. Chapter 5 underscores again the marvel of Athenian democracy by comparing it to the USA, leading to the conclusion that the ideal political system would merge the positive aspects of representative “democracies” with the Athenian political and judicial system. Chapter 6 argues that oligarchic Switzerland's remarkable achievements can be traced to decentralization and to the meager direct democracy component of its constitution. Chapter 7 explores five current exemplars of direct democracy, showing that direct democracy could bear just as many delicious fruits in the contemporary world as it did in hunter-gatherer bands and in ancient Athens. Chapter 8 argues that direct democracy can be better defended on moral, factual, and theoretical grounds than any other political system.

Chapter 9 argues that we can comfortably apply the tried-and-true positive features of Athenian democracy to the contemporary world. However, the success of direct democracy now depends on the implementation of six additional features: 1. Minimizing the gap between rich and poor. 2. Wresting information monopolies from oligarchs. 3. Applying severe criminal sanctions against sunshine bribery (campaign financing). 4. Mandating total public control of banking and money creation. 5. Eliminating private trusts and oligopolies. 6. Maximally enfeebling the central government.