Saving Democracy: How to Build a Better World

In this chapter we discuss the difference between tyranny of the majority and tyranny of the minority. A first step to preventing either is to redesign existing political institutions. We therefore examine each of the major components of the U.S government, summarizing their functions, problems, and making suggested reforms. We then do the same for parliamentary systems of the sort found in Europe and elsewhere. Following this we look at alternate forms of democracy. These are more experimental systems that have yet to be adopted at a national level. They include methodologies that foster forms of deliberative democracy, liquid delegation systems, quadratic voting, citizen assemblies, and prediction markets. Education is critical to an informed electorate, but educational institutions have yet to do an effective job in countering nefarious politicians and disinformation on social media. Democratic information systems that are unbiased and non-partisan include the Society Library's Internet Government Project and the Great American Debate project, which we describe. We conclude with a discussion of the role science can play in the political process.