31 Aug How plausible are instrumental arguments for democracy?
The essay should follow such a structure:
1. Introduction (explaining the meaning of the question, answer to it backed up by the theory, the definition of democracy and instrumental arguments,, step by step explanation of an essay structure)
2. Exploration (strategic, epistemic, self-development arguments explained: their accountability and fallacies)
- Comparison to non-instrumental arguments (right-based accounts, public justification, public equality, non-domination)
- Conclusion (why or why not instrumental arguments are plausible)
Must contain following references:
Sen, Amartya, ‘Democracy as a Universal Value’, Journal of Democracy, 10 (3) (1999).
Christiano, Thomas, ‘The Authority of Democracy’, Journal of Political Philosophy, 12 (2004).
Griffen, C. ‘Democracy as a Non Instrumentally Just procedure’, Journal of Political Philosophy, 11 (1) (2003): 111-121
Arneson, Richard, ‘Defending the Purely Instrumental Account of Democratic Legitimacy’, Journal of Political Philosophy, 11 (1) (2003).
Anderson, Elizabeth, ‘Democracy: Instrumental vs. Non-Instrumental Value’, in T. Christiano and J. Christman (eds), Contemporary Debates in Political Philosophy, ch. 12
