Before
Democracy is the best system we have had to date where free elections allow all adult citizens to vote for the appointment of representatives who are then asked to vote on our behalf on the issues that affect us in our society. Well, that's the theory anyway, but while once upon a time a representative would be a respected member of the community who would put his name forward for the honor of volunteering his own free time for the good of the people, today our democracy is run by highly paid wealthy individuals who pander to the wants of big business and corporations, in an utterly corrupt and paralyzed system. People are now so disillusioned with politics because they see that no matter which side is in power, rarely are the needs of the people represented, instead politicians vote largely on issues which favor their sponsors, not the ordinary people.
The biggest problem with the concept of democracy where one person gets one vote is ironically that everyone gets to vote. The population overall does not have the knowledge needed to make good decisions for society as a whole and today they are so easily led and persuaded by widespread, incessant, and heavily funded advertising which at best cleverly distorts the truth to an unsuspecting and naive public to successfully hijack the democratic process, and at worst are often made up of complete lies about the reality of the situation.
Issues which are critical to the health of civilization and society are ignored because the public is coerced into voting in a way which protects corporate interests because of the way they are framed in elections. Climate change is a good example where humans face one of the most serious situations in our entire history which requires us to take dramatic and immediate action for our very survival, yet amazingly political campaigns aimed at discrediting the overwhelming scientific evidence to support human-caused climate change, time after time convince people to vote to keep the status quo.
The concentration of power is what is ultimately responsible for the breakdown of societies in the past, or the broken societies of today, or the persecution of people, or the unfair distribution of wealth between citizens. Whether it is a failed communist, or socialist state of the past, or an autocratic society, or a democratic society of today, the concentration of power with an individual or a select few, or the wealthy elite, is always to blame for the unfair treatment of ordinary people.
After
Nutopia does not have the concept of a government or elected representatives. The Guardian System ensures that firstly our civilization is protected, secondly that all people are treated the same so that no one group or individual can be suffering while others live a life of luxury, and thirdly that all other decisions are made collectively by the citizens who vote directly on specific issues rather than having to choose someone to represent them in the hope that they will always vote the way you want them to. While it would have been impractical in the 20th century for citizens to vote directly on every issue that affected them using town halls and paper ballots, technology has now made it possible for people to vote on specific issues rather than electing a person to vote on their behalf.
While this direct democracy will benefit greatly from the effects of the wisdom of crowds, critics often claim that it will lead to a tyranny of the majority but it is an unnecessary concern with Nutopia. While this would be a legitimate criticism in history when the rights of minorities were unprotected, the Guardian System protects minorities in Nutopia to ensure that no such tyranny can occur. That doesn't mean that the majority won't get its way, it just means that all people are protected with their human rights and all their basic needs are met. Being denied a skateboard park in your community because the majority wants to have tennis courts is a lot different than being forced in to slavery, racial discrimination, the disenfranchisement of women, ethnic cleansing, and millions of people suffering in poverty while others want for nothing.
