The Censorship of Television

TLDR: Democracy is a system that vests the ultimate power of governance in individual citizens as discussed by the authors, and it is a postulate of the moral equality of citizens: the views of one person are assumed to be as worthy of respect as those of others.

Abstract: Democracy is a system that vests the ultimate power of governance in individual citizens. As evidenced by the rule requiring universal distribution of the franchise and our commitment to the one person-one vote principle, much of democracy's appeal flows from a postulate of the moral equality of citizens: the views of one person are assumed to be as worthy of respect as those of others. This postulate causes many to cringe, because we know that certain people are in fact more qualified than others to exercise the power of governance. They are smarter, better informed, more aware of the world around them, and much more capable of exercising wise judgment. This fact has caused some to turn their backs on democracy altogether. Others have responded by seeking to allocate the franchise according to criteria that presumably test for knowledge and understanding. Although Americans have tried this alternative at various points in our history, we have since come to reject it, largely because it had been used to disenfranchise blacks and other minority groups. Our present strategy is more inclusive: we try to enlarge the knowledge and understanding of all citizens, not in an effort to eliminate distinctions among them, but rather to ensure that they are all capable of exercising the power of governance in a wise and intelligent way. This, I believe, is one of the central functions of the formal education system and an important reason why we make elementary and secondary education mandatory. The purpose of such a system is not simply to endow individuals with the skills necessary to make them fully productive and sociable members of society. The system is also, and perhaps more importantly, designed to enable all of us to discharge the duties of citizenship. In this way, mandatory education gives substance to the egalitarian premises that underlie democracy. The American formal education system, with both its public and private components, is vast and abundant. Indeed, it is one of the greatest treasures of our nation. But it is not without limits. Although some citizens pursue formal education well into their adult years, for most it comes to an end by their early twenties. By that time, it is fair to assume that the proper foundations have been laid. Yet democracy requires that the educational process continue-citizens must be able to update and re-evaluate their