Outline of CHAPTER 3..... A Theory of Democracy Introduction From Chaos to Chaos Biological and Cultural Evolution The Origins of Democratic Change Freedom, Equality, and New Community Constructing A Theory Of Democracy The Stages of Democracy Liberal Democracy Democracy's Next Steps Teledemocracy Reform Now

Synopsis of Chapter 3 A Theory of Democracy In the third chapter we look at a theory of democracy based on concepts taken from information science, general systems theory, and a constructivist philosophy of "deep evolution." Democracy is seen as evolving through identifiable stages, and predictions are made regarding its future stages on each of two separate scales of history. We will see democracy as more than a political process. It is a system of information processing at many levels. To function well at the political level, it has to be reinforced by democratic patterns at other human system levels. At the close of the third chapter, readers should be thinking about the following assertions: democracy is a living informational, or decision-making, system decision-making systems can be analyzed into system elements, communication channels, information flow, decision nodes, and values democracies, like all other living systems, evolve through identifiable stages authentic democracy is more adaptive than authoritarian or fundamentalist systems the values served by democracies must be those that enhance the evolution of life at every level--not those that profit only special interests teledemocracy will provide a more efficient and more democratic decision-making process in the 21st century