The Philosophy Club held a forum for students and faculty to discuss democracy. The participants were Dr. Joe Corso, from the political science department, Dr. Leslie MacAvoy, and Paul Tudico philosophy department, and a current student Ashish Javer. The forum was also sponsored by Concerned East Tennessee Citizens.
The forum began with Dr. MacAvoy speaking on what she believes democracy is. “To take a better look at democracy we need to examine voting,” MacAvoy said. She explained that rational humans use reason to go about obtaining their goals and how to pursue them.
“The first responsibility of a citizen is to live up to the expectation of others,” MacAvoy said. She used an example from philosopher Ronald Dworkinto reinforce her point; you should not make a decision about a law that doesn’t affect yourself.
Tudico began by stating that in a democracy people are not encouraged to see other viewpoints or to speak with one another about conflicting opinions. “The voter does not learn both sides and does not gain any information about the whole picture so it makes voting an insufficient way of participation,” he said.
Tudico said respect is a great property that should be implemented into the democratic system. Each person must value the other and make rational decisions.
“At the local level people can be most affected by democracy,” Corso said. Corso has been active in local community politics since 1975. In 1989, he earned a seat on the school board.
“Government is for the middle class, and it is fueled by the American Dream,” Corso said. The American Dream is typically having a good job, a great home, and public safety.
“Most Americans don’t want to worry themselves with politics,” Corso added.
Javer spoke of how business is an important aspect of democracy. “Democracy has changed since its initial conception,” he said.
The ever growing pace of the global market and the growing of business have made the idea of democracy evolve over time. “Different individuals collaborate to produce the common goal which comes from a common political and social concern,” Javer said.
A question-and-answer session followed the discussion. One audience member asked about the officials who are in charge of the war effort in Iraq. They were asked if they would ever be held accountable for their actions. In one word, Corso answered, “no.”
This forum was recorded for the ETSU podcast system which can be found at itunes.etsu.edu.
Students can download the conference by clicking on the philosophy club icon “Philosophy-Spring 2007.”
Students with questions or problems viewing the podcast may contact Dr. David Currie at currie@etsu.edu.

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