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FREEDOM TO CHOOSE AND DEMOCRACY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2003

Adam Przeworski
Affiliation:
New York University

Abstract

Should democracts value the freedom to choose? Do people value facing distinct choices when they make collective decisions? ‘Autonomy’ – the ability to participate in the making of collective decisions – is a paltry notion of freedom. True, democrats must be prepared that their preferences may not be realized as the outcome of the collective choice. Yet democracy is impoverished when many people cannot even vote for what they most want.

‘The point is not to be free, but to act freely.’ Rosa Luxemburg

Type
Essay
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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