ABSTRACT
Before driving deeply into any intellectual territory it is prudent to begin by achieving an overview of the main features of what Gilbert Ryle used to call 'the logical geography'. Most of the people associate democracy very closely with liberty; we are even inclined to employ expressions like 'a free society' or 'a democratic society' almost interchangeably. Labels like 'German Democratic Republic' or 'People's Democratic Republic of the Yemen' become ever more common. Those devoted to democracy in understanding may too quickly put down the employments of the term as just so much flagrantly mendacious propaganda. Certainly democracy in any understanding logically presupposes fairly extensive political liberties. There also seems to be good reason for believing that it is in practice incompatible with the maintenance of a fully socialist command economy. But it is important to recognize that decisions democratically reached, and democratically reversible, may grossly restrict both the liberties and the powers of individuals.
