J. S. Mill 민주주의론의 기초개념으로서 熟議

초록

Deliberative democracy has now emerged influential as it attracts substantial attention from recent studies on theories of democracy. It places more emphasis on procedure and reason compared to traditional democracy, where preferences were aggregated in a form of voting. The notion of deliberation in theories of democracy is originally rooted in the Athenian politics, however the one who had developed it into a modern theory was John Stuart Mill, a constitutional thinker in the 19th century Britain. To deepen our understanding on Mill and his deliberation, it must be noted that deliberation is a comprehensive concept encompassing democracy and freedom of expression. Inspired and illuminated by deliberation, Mill presents three key ideas. First, he stresses the gravity of free discussion and expression of opinions at the House of Commons where deliberation is actually practiced by decision-makers elected through universal suffrage. Second, he sets forth intellectualism to secure voices of the competent few under tyranny of the majority. Finally, he believes that, in pursuit of the public good, the House should go beyond mere class legislation for a democratic decision to be legitimate. It is hardly deniable that Mill’s theories may include limitations as they partially lack enough details. Nevertheless they lead us to enrich our understanding as Mill introduces public interest engendered by procedure and reason. Back in his time, Mill devised the procedure to balance between majority and minority and tried to achieve greater public interest by introducing the reason as a primary source of legitimacy. Now we are living in the 21st century Korean society where its politics stands before massive challenge. Even though the government system adopts the model of representative government, we frequently witness our representatives seek for partisan interests without maintaining due process and deep discussions. Under these circumstances, we must revisit Mill’s thoughts on deliberation to acquire valid and viable implications for the road ahead.

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