ABSTRACT
If we assume that man has a reasonable, moral nature which is expressed in politics, there are appropriate techniques to be used in reaching this goal. If we assume, on the other hand, that because of the psychological nature of men, the quality of opinion is inherently irrational, there are appropriate techniques to implement this conviction. The history of modern democracy and constitutional government is in measure the development of techniques which rely upon the rational capability of citizens. In contrast, the attack upon democracy uses an opposite body of techniques which assume the irrational nature of at least a very considerable portion of the people. In support of democracy, political technicians have assumed it is possible to bring the qualitatively satisfactory aspect of opinion closer to governmental decision. In the opposite case, political technique has been used to corrupt democratic procedures on the theory that it is the duty of those in power to mold the individual citizen to the decisions of the few. On the one hand, democracy assumes majority decision to be ultimately a reflection of assumptions which are rationally justifiable; and, on the other hand, the opposing technicians regard majority decision as manufactured by the engineering of social approval. When propaganda or the manipulation of symbols important to ideological intelligence fails, cen-
sorship or the elimination of ideological opposition is effected. If closing the ordinary means of communication does not succeed, then suppression and coercion may be resorted to, and, within the effective limits of these techniques, political ends may be sustained with mass support.+
The essential question for those who believe in democracy is whether something may be done that will assist the reasonableness of citizens to emerge in concrete political situations. Broadly, the democrat has proposed that education will elevate the functioning of democracy. It is for this reason that mass education has been one of the tenets of the democrat, and it is for this reason that popular or mass education has been almost universally supported from the middle of the last century down to the present time. It has been believed by progressives since the eighteenth century that education will enable the people to accept the findings of science and to understand social problems.
