“The conception that government should be guided by majority opinion makes sense only if that opinion is independent of government. The ideal of democracy rests on the belief that the view which will direct government emerges from an independent and spontaneous process. It requires, therefore, the existence of a large sphere independent of majority control in which the opinions of the individuals are formed.” IfsShouldGovernmentIndividualBeliefProcessViewsExistenceOpinionDemocracyIdealsDirectIndependentMajorityMake SenseConceptionSpheresSpontaneousMajority Opinion Author:Friedrich August von Hayek
“We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our Liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections. If an election is to be determined by a majority of a single vote, and that can be procured by a party through artifice or corruption, the Government may be the choice of a party for its own ends, not of the nation for the national good.” IfsShouldMayEndsGovernmentChoicesNationsLosesPartyLibertyDangerFairsVoteSightIndependentElectionMajorityCorruptionDeterminedPurityVotingVirtuousUnfaithfulArtifice Author:John Adams
“Allowing an independent and sovereign Iraq could be a nightmare for the United States. It would mean that it would be Shi'ite-dominated, at least if it's minimally democratic. It would continue to improve relations with Iran, just what the United States doesn't want to see. And beyond that, right across the border in Saudi Arabia where most of Saudi oil is, there happens to be a large Shi'ite population, probably a majority.” IfsWantMeanStatesHappensWould BeUnitedUnited StatesRelationIndependentMajorityDemocraticIraqPopulationOilBordersNightmareIranAllowingSovereignArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudis Author:Noam Chomsky
“This House cannot function without an open, accountable, and independent ethics process; and the molestation of that process by the majority is an abuse of power that cannot stand.” HouseProcessEthicsAbuseFunctionIndependentMajorityAbuse Of PowerMolestation Author:Louise Slaughter
“It is not difficult to deprive the great majority of independent thought. But the minority who will retain an inclination to criticize must also be silenced....Public criticism or even expressions of doubt must be suppressed because they tend to weaken pubic support....When the doubt or fear expressed concerns not the success of a particular enterprise but of the whole social plan, it must be treated even more as sabotage.” WholeSocialDifficultSupportDoubtPlansParticularExpressionConcernCriticismIndependentMajorityTreatedEnterpriseMinoritiesCriticizeInclinationSabotageIndependent Thought Author:Friedrich August von Hayek
“The idea that the majority of students attend a university for an education independent of the degree and grades is a hypocrisy everyone is happier not to expose. Occasionally some students do arrive for an education but rote and mechanical nature of the institution soon converts them to a less idealic attitude” IdeasAttitudeStudentsDegreesIndependentInstitutionsMajorityUniversityHypocrisyGradesZen Motorcycle Maintenance Author:Robert M. Pirsig