Mobocracy
Mobocracy is a term used to describe a state of affairs, in politics or other organizational behavior where decision making procedures, discourse and process have broken down and a temporary majority forces issues without regard to established norms or the rights of the minority. Its use is generally polemical and often used to argue against direct democracy or other forms of government where all issues are decided by some automatic voting process which gives sweeping powers to the current majority in a jurisidiction, assembly or other deliberative body. It is often used by those who warn that current trends within a group are reaching, or have reached, the point where conflict will escalate beyond normal political means.
Brief discussion
One common critique through the history of political philosophy of governments where a voting majority is sovereign is the fear that that majority, acting under emotional influence, or out of extreme self-interest will rupture the polity. Aristotle in Nichomachean ethics described "Democracy" as a potentially degenerate form of government specifically because of the tendency of democracy, as he defined it, to act against the direction of "the good", or what Aristotle described as aim of the politics: the art of taking other arts in combination to produce the most benefit.
In later political writing, including the political theory described in the Federalist papers, warnings were given that a temporary majority could act to take the property or rights of the minority. Walpole used the term to describe "A condition in which the lower classes of a nation control public affairs without respect to law, precedents, or vested rights." (Cited from Meriam Webster 1913)
In the late 20th century the term mobocracy gained rhetorical use as "rule by the mob" or "the mob as a ruling class". Many of the users of this term have opposed Democracy entirely, but the majority use is within the context of a Democracy where there is a fear by the user that decisions have short circuited the deliberative process. Examples of targets of the use of the term have include use of polling to make decisions rather than deliberation; the desire by those who are economically disadvantaged to engage in redistributive justice or taxation designed to liquidate the wealth of the upper class; the desire to restrict rights of minorities based on custom or tradition without reference to existing civil rights structures.
See also
External links
Categories: Politics stubs