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Biodemocracy is the study of democracy as an integral and leading part of the web of life. |
Websites Related to Biodemocracy
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(1) The study of the effects of changes in the environment on the forms and evolution of different democratic and nondemocratic political systems. This will be of interest not only in relation to history but also to our understanding of the possible future effects of environmental crises on the ability of democratic government to cope with massive environmental changes and on their ability to preserve the essence of democratic process under conditions of extreme environmental stress.
(2) The comparative study of the effects of different laws and institutions in different democratic countries on various aspects of the surrounding ecosystem.
(3) The study of the effects of various laws and institutions, including specific political party policies, on biodiversity, endangered species, and the remaining gene pool--especially in relation to indigenous peoples, small or poor countries, known medical needs, and future possible medical uses.
(4) The study of the effects of ideology, religious belief, economic interests, control of mass media, and political party affiliation on the environmental sciences, on popular beliefs about the environment, and on government policy relating to the exploitation or protection of the environment.
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The Story of Modern Democracy (cont.): is The Emergence of Democracy by Vanhanen(1984). Vanhanen uses minimal but objectively measurable criteria to define democracy: ten per cent voter participation, 30 per cent vote for oppositional parties, and degrees of distribution for wealth and for knowledge. By his criteria, the United States--where only 6 per cent of the adult population voted in the first presidential elections--did not become a "democracy" until the 1840's. Canada was second, crossing the threshold in the late1860's--after the dominion of Canada was created by the British North America Act of 1867. Prospects for the future of democracy were significantly improved in 1865 when democratic forces defeated the proponents of slavery in a bloody civil war fought in the United States. This result was |
critically necessary to the further extensions of the democratic franchise toward full participation of the whole adult population and to the further evolution of democratic processes around the world.
The third country to reach minimal criteria for definition as a modern democracy was France in the 1870's--following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the establishment of The Third Republic. We should remember that despite obvious defects in all early as well as all present day democracies, the economic crises, civil wars, wars among nations, and other tests of time have demonstrated (in general, of course) an increasing adaptability, strength, and authenticity of democratic practice. The next nation to join the developing set of Next |
CED welcomes short essays and written proposals that address the critical problems of modern democracy. We can publish selected comments or brief essays by students, teachers or any independent author. They will be offered to others as starting points--for further research, writing papers, organizing, or for understanding the links between one's personal life and the political process.
Brief essays written for classroom work, as commentary for presentation in local media, or for distribution over the Internet can be more than a personal learning experience for the author: they can also be a genuine contribution to change in the political decision-making process.