Faris asked:

Is a democracy based on reason possible? For Socrates, it seems that a single person will always
know what is best, and yet his idea of reason seems to extend beyond knowledge to encompass the
freedom of questioning. How might this allow for the justification of democracy?

============

I don't know about reason... human beings are neither sane nor rational. But there's a bit of hope;
take a look at this study. Here's a quote:

"
"When red deer stand up and honeybees dance, they are not simply stretching their legs or indicating
where the nectar is, according to a new study. As bizarre as it may seem, they are voting on whether
to move to greener pastures or richer flowers.

"The process is unconscious, the researchers say. No deer counts votes or checks ballots; bees do
not know the difference between a dimple and a chad. But no one deer or bee or buffalo decides
when the group moves. If democracy means that actions are taken based not on a ruler's preference,
but the preferences of a majority, then animals have democracy.""

Full text at: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/14/science/life/14DEMO.html

So, fortunately, it seems that rationality is not necessary for democracy (but perhaps sanity is... in that
case, we have problems), and that democracy actually isa good choice for governing.

Steven Ravett Brown