This information was handed out at the April General meeting of the Humanists of Utah by our speaker Jeffrey Nielsen and was prepared by Jeffrey and the Democracy House Project.

Democracy means to me both a form of government and, along with John Dewey and others, a way of public and private life.

As a form of government it means a government formed by consent of the governed and deriving its authority continuously via popular sovereignty from the people--where the ordinary citizen both directly and indirectly through their chosen representatives, exercises the powers of government. Those powers are mediated through a constitution, which both specifies the purposes, functions, division's and limits of government as well as provides a framework for the rule of law and for basic rights which each person should have equal privilege to enjoy.

As a way of life, democracy is the recognition that the true governing class of society is the ordinary citizen. Ordinary citizens who are regularly engaged in the development of political literacy and who live with the expectation of frequent and meaningful participation in self-government at the neighborhood, local, state and national levels.

As a way of life, citizens in a democracy reject the merely "theatrical role" permitted them by those who claim political power, where citizens may get indignant and protest, while government reserves decision-making and action for itself. Democratic citizens will claim their rightful place in government.

As a way of life, democracy is an important aspect of human life--where we exercise our talents and energies with a healthy sense of power and responsibility.

As a way of life, democracy is acceptance of the following truths:

• Only in community can we live meaningful lives and achieve human flourishing.
• Only in democratic communities can we achieve the security and freedom required for each person to possess the equal liberty to enjoy human flourishing.
• The moral meaning of democratic community is that ordinary citizens are wise enough and good enough for self-government.
• The moral foundation of democratic community is the peer principle that states, "We each possess the equal privilege and liberty to speak and we each share the equal and reciprocal obligation to listen."

To begin to create such democratic communities within our country and a democratic community of our country will require three things:

1. Education in political literacy;
2. Creation of new and innovative paths to more direct participation by ordinary citizens;
3. Patient persuasiveness.

Political Literacy can be defined in the following way:

Democratic Thinking consists of:

• Understanding the peer principle along with the moral meaning and foundation of democracy.
• Understanding the democratic attitudes and values required for successful self-government (Attitudes of Respect, Sincere Listening, Truthful Speaking, Commitment to Dialogue and Values of Openness, Transparency, Participation, and Shared Competence).
• Understanding the basic terms of democratic community - liberty, equality, rights, law, and authority - and their right relation in a just society.

Democratic Relating consists of:

• Conscience--where we understand and recognize our own cognitive biases and fallibility.
• Sincerity--so we can learn to listen across differences of opinion and values.
• Integrity--develop consistency between our thoughts, words, and deeds and learn how to articulate values in a fair and persuasive manner

Democratic Deliberating means there must be:

• Respectful conflict resolution.
• Basic critical thinking skills (how to evaluate arguments, evidence, and information sources including the media and political speech).
• Peer-based deliberation skills to be able to form consensus in groups and arrive at well-reasoned decisions.

Democratic Engaging has five basic points:

• The basic forms of democratic governments and constitutions: direct democracy and indirect democracy (representative democracy): presidential/congress and parliamentarian, along with an understanding of the nature and functions of the separate branches of government; such as, executive, legislative, and judicial.
• The institutions of democracy: Free press; market economy, public education, etc.
• The levels of government from the local community level all the way u to the federal level and how law and regulation are made, and how together they form the public policy of the various governing institutions; and how to be engaged as a citizen lobbyist to demand real participation in the creation of public policy.
• How to network and get involved with local community groups in order to participate actively in public life and find new ways to be engaged at the grassroots level.
• Create your own "living room democracy."

For further information and discussion of this vital and interesting topic you can visit the KETTERING FOUNDATION Kettering collaborates with community groups, government agencies, scholars, and activists around the world, much of their work centers around public deliberation and the work of weighing the costs and benefits of various approaches for action against the things people hold most dear.

Also the NATIONAL ISSUES FORUM is a network of civic, educational, and other organizations, and individuals, whose common interest is to promote public deliberation in America.

--Bob Mayhew