What should the voting age be?

[HoreTore]

I vote for a voting age measured in political knowledge and IQ.

I don't. If we don't allow those without political knowledge to vote, then there will be no incentitive for those with political knowledge to share it, in fact it will be good for those with knowledge to keep others from knowing. In effect, you will create a system similar in nature to the feudal system or the communist nomenclatura.

Voters without knowledge is democracy's greatest strength, it's not a weakness in any way.

As Louis hinted at, the household, as opposed to the individual, is the basis of our society, and the classical economic unit. It is ridiculous to think that one extended family may be able to promote its interests over another through having more inhabitants with the vote, simply on the grounds that it is larger! To relate this to the OP, 'one household one vote' would also solve the issue of voting at a certain age, since we could remove age boundaries entirely, since a person will only become a householder once they reach a relatively mature age, and have some life experience. Age cutoffs are arbitrary, this system would create a voting base with the values discussed earlier that make for a healthy electorate.

Furthermore, I propose a class-based voting system, similar to that of the old three-estates. An excellent real life examples is the Prussian three-class franchise.

While some lefties may at first complain, if they think about it, this is precisely the sort of system they should support if they honestly combine their socialist ideals with support for democracy. If society is fundamentally divided along class lines, and a person's class is what determines their political concerns, then it seems that all people can only be fairly represented if their class is given a voice in parliament.

Since there are far more working-class than middle-class people and nobility combined, then a system of 'one person one vote' in a single chamber would lead to a tyranny of the majority by the working classes, leaving the other two without democratic representation.

Only a greedy capitalist that denies the existence of class struggle would want a Parliament where every person gets one equal vote.

All good socialists should support the above system.

To try to link all these ideas together, the common theme is that it is silly idealism to think that the individual is the basis of society, and completely ignores the reality of the social/economic/political nature of society today, which is far too complex for such a simple system.

Nonsense; I have always voted differently to both my girlfriends and the rest of my family.

[Skullheadhq]

Voters without knowledge is democracy's greatest strength, it's not a weakness in any way.

Please explain.

[HoreTore]

Please explain.

I do believe I already have. Nevertheless, I'll happily do it again:

In a world where uninformed people haave power over you, it is in your best interest to educate and enlighten them.

In a world where they have no power, it is in your best interest to keep them from gaining knowledge, as that will lessen your own power. Ref/ what happen to the power of organized religion once the common man learned to read the holy books.

And having more educated people around is good for you, since that will make it easier to come up with the brilliant ideas we need for society to progress. Therefore, giving power to the "uninformed masses" is a strength, not a wisdom.



Plato was a short-sighted and arrogant arsehole.