Food For Thought is a public theology & Bible advocacy blog for Eternity from Sophia Think Tank’s David Wilson, who gathers top Christian thinkers to take a closer look at how the Christian faith addresses matters in society at large every week.

Lindsay Tanner in his two most recent books proclaims that Australian politics has become a game as it moves into the entertainment world of contemporary media.This move means we are losing the opportunity for serious political discussion on the things that really matter.

In an article in Melbourne’s Age newspaper last year Paul Monk wrote, “Democracies are in trouble around the world as voters become disengaged and irresponsible. So what are we going to do about it?”   

After mentioning some examples from around the world to back up his claim he states, “Democratic political systems are failing to generate the policies needed to steer their societies away from fiscal perils and towards sustainable prosperity, while more and more voters appear irresponsible or disengaged.” He concedes that there are no non-democratic political alternatives which look more promising, and concludes that the future does not look encouraging.

Dr. Paul Monk, a Director of Ourview, draws from the work of Russian intellectual Vladimir Inozemstev who states that if democracy is still working, it would be providing “at least minimally competent public policy decision-making”.  Inozemstev suggests that democracy is in fact breaking down, and that we are heading for ochlocracy.  ‘Ochlos’ means mob whereas ‘demos’ refers to citizens. 

Commenting on Inozemstev’s work, Monk writes, “The ochlocracy… expects entitlements without responsibilities.It is easily misled by propaganda and infotainment, is unable to vote rationally or responsibly and splinters into multicultural and self-obsessed tribes, as against independent-minded citizens”.

Interesting thoughts.  I would like to discuss with him what he means by “independent-minded” because this concept can too easily degenerate into an individualism that puts the needs of the individual (what I want) over and above the common good of the community of which we are a part. However, his summation of the problem is consistent with what others are saying about the downfall of democracy in our society.  Last year I was involved in research on the social environment of young people in Australia, and it showed that people in general are concerned about where  Australian democracy is heading.  They reported concerns such as:

• Loss of a national vision and values

• Lack of serious debate around significant issues

• Increasing sense of non-representation of people by elected representatives

• Political activity reduced to an election cycle

• Market-led policy frameworks which at their heart treat people as productive units rather than as citizens through which our communities and nation are built.

Paul Monk states that there is an alternative to ditching democracy altogether.He suggests that we overhaul the existing mechanism for operating democracy in Australia, and that this can largely be done by “reinventing how we consult, sift and register the understanding and thinking of the public”.

This is Monk’s area of expertise and he offers the following advice:

“The original promise of democratic politics–in Athens–was making it possible for citizens to participate freely and effectively in public policy debates. Our modern arrangements–parties, elections and public opinion polls–are struggling. To do better in the 21st century, we need better mechanisms for encouraging participation, informed and responsible voting and the discernment of the public mind.

“The new media have been acclaimed by some as liberation technologies, but they can clutter the system or polarise debate as readily as clarify it. What we actually need are de-liberation technologies.

‘If we want better democratic government, surely we need it to be guided and constrained by a kind of considered collective view. Such a view is best ascertained through a well-designed process in which representative groups of ordinary citizens–mini publics–convene and engage in extended, informed debate. In principle, this can be extended to mass publics. What we need are experiments to improve on what has already been done.”

Monk ends his article by pointing the reader in the direction of his own work with the Ourview Foundation. It’s worth having a look.   

This suggestion reminds me of the place of the City Gate in the walled cities of Bible times.The City Gate was a place where city officials would gather to hear one another and to hear the views and opinions of citizens.  The Old Testament book of Proverbs says that wisdom is calling out in the City Gates, urging the gathering to hear well and to act upon the wisdom that is there imparted (Prov. 8:1-8).  It is a dominant theme of the book of Proverbs that such wisdom does not come only from the leadership of the city but also from the young and the “ordinary”.Solomon is calling for what Paul Monk is advocating.  The need continues!

This type of public consultation was also part of Athen’s city structure at the time of the Apostle Paul, when he visited and was invited to talk to the thought leaders at the Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34).  It is a part of our own Indigenous culture in Australia, often depicted in Aboriginal art by people sitting in circles listening, and in one of their language groups by the word narana–meaning to sit and to listen for wisdom, and to learn with fear and respect.

So, how can we save our country from degenerating into the mob-like characteristics of ochlocracy?Paul Monk suggests we can use modern technology to usher in a whole new means of listening well, and he is working on it.  The technology may be new, but the brilliance of listening well to the people, seeking wisdom and then acting on it is as old as Jerusalem, Athens, and our own Indigenous cultures.Sounds like we might do well by paying some attention! 

Sophia Think Tank is working with Partnering for Transformation and the Australian Media Engagement Project to put on a series of conversations around this theme. 

Check here to find out more and let’s get the conversation going.

Food for thought.

 

Featured image on homepage: Parliament House Sydney by avlxyx_Flickr