Straight forward, do you agree with this quote? Why? If not, why? I do not believe in a system of government, where the opinion of Aristotle, is held in the same value as the opinion of the village idiot- Anonymous.
I agree, but at the same time, I also don't want a government that does not listen to the people, only the selected Aristotles. However, the idea of that quote is why I am against the idea that high voter turnout is a good thing. I only believe people should vote if they have an informed decision. If you can't discuss in some detail what the person stands for and know enough about the issue to say what that means, then you should not be voting. And I do mean being able to say more than a one sentence sound bite.
The premise is wrong. Society as a whole does not decide the value of an opinion. Individuals decide the value. Of course as an individual I would value Aristotle higher, I would never deny the idiot his say though.
I disgaree. The validity of an opinion isn't determined by the status of person giving it alone. There could be subjects where a village idiot is better informed than Aristotle.
No, do you agree with this? "Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." Sir Winston Churchill, Hansard, November 11, 1947 British politician (1874 - 1965) The wording in your quote, "I do not believe in...", relies on the word "believe". What does it mean to "believe in" a system? Is Democracy perfect? No. Can democracy deal with all kinds of problems? No. Is democracy safe? No. But would I choose democracy over any other, yet known, system? Yes. Does that mean I "believe" in democracy or just that I pragmatically tolerate it?
I think it depends on what the topic of the opinion might be. It's especially critical when the village idiot is saying, quite correctly, "Hey, guys, that isn't Aristotle. That's Bernie Madoff."
Yes, and no. I would want Aristotle's opinion worth more because it is better thought out with more substance, not simply because it was said by Aristotle. Similarly I would want the idiot's decision not considered because it is foolish, not simply because it was said by the idiot. Everyone's opinion should be heard, great things can come form unexpected places.
