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Inciting Democracy: A Practical Proposal for Creating a Good Society
Questions and Concerns
Readers of Inciting Democracy have questioned both its premises and its viability. Below are a variety of questions and concerns. Each link leads to an expanded version of the question or concern and Randy’s response. The questions are taken from Chapter 11 of Inciting Democracy.
A: Is It Possible to Create a Good Society?
B: Is Democracy Possible and Desirable?
- Is Democratic Decision-Making Possible in a Large Society?
- Is There Enough Time for Real Democracy?
- Would People Want to Spend Time on Societal Decision-Making?
C: Are the Five Obstacles Enumerated the Real Obstacles to Positive Change?
- What about Other Obstacles?
- Is the Power Elite Monolithic?
- Are Some Cultures Better than Others?
- What Knowledge is Essential?
D: Is This the Right Strategy for Change?
- What Do You Mean by "Fundamental Progressive Social Change"?
- Why Are Progressive Activists Needed?
- Are Activists the Only Ones Who Create a Good Society?
- Why Are So Many Activists Required?
- Does It Make Sense to Act without Greater Understanding?
- Why an Education Program?
- Is It Possible to Bring about Fundamental Change without a Fight?
- Are these the Correct Methods?
- What Kind of Emotional Counseling Do You Advocate?
- What about Activists in Rural Areas?
- Won’t Excluded Activists be Resentful?
- Why Focus on One Nation?
- Why Focus Only on the United States?
- Would the Vernal Project Go International?
- Is It Really Possible to Attract So Many Activists to Join the Vernal Project?
- What Secular Sentiment Would Inspire So Many Activists to Join?
E: Would the Vernal Project Distort Progressive Change Movements?
- Would the Vernal Project Create an Elitist Vanguard?
- Would the Vernal Project Foster a White, Middle-Class Movement?
- Would the Vernal Project Create a Cult?
- Do You Think You Know What Everyone Should Do?
- Isn’t the Vernal Education Program Rigid and Dogmatic?
F: Will This Strategy Take Too Long?
- Why Does This Strategy Take So Long?
- Couldn’t Technology Speed Transformation?
- But We Don’t Have Eighty Years…
- And We’ll All Be Dead in Eighty Years…
