现代民主有一个严重的问题，但有别的选择吗？ [印度媒体]

-------------译者：玖思-审核者：xin233------------



Long before US president-elect Donald Trump was first sighted there were men who feared democracy. Among the fearful were the very men who invented America’s democracy. Wary of the intellect of regular people the frxrs of America’s constitution complicated the presidential elections. As a result Americans do not directly elect the president rather they vote for hundreds of people who in turn elect the president. In practice the electoral college is a formality and its members have never overturned public will but in theory they can. 

在川普当选总统很久之前，就已经有人对民主感到担忧。在这些恐惧的人中有人发明了美国的民主。出于对普通人智商的警惕，美国宪法的制定者将总统选举变得复杂。作为结果，美国人并不直接选出总统，而是先通过选出数百人，再由这些人选出总统。在实践中选举团（即由公众直接选出的数百人组成的团体）是一种形式，他的成员从来没有推翻过公众意志，但是理论上他们可以。

Democracy is strange. No other human enterprise is run the way a democracy is. Corporations institutions including Jawaharlal Nehru University and even families are autocracies. Democracies themselves are not truly democracies. The very idea of representative democracy is to ensure that the State is protected from most of the whims of the masses and is instead run by an elected plutocracy. 

民主很奇怪。人类的其他其他企业的运转方式和民主都不同。公司机构包括尼赫鲁大学以及甚至家庭都是独裁专制。民主本身并不真正民主。代议民主的理念是确保国家从大众的异想天开中得到保护，然而他却由一个选出的富豪统治集团所运转。

-------------译者：dll-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

As proof of democracy’s success its champions point to disastrous alternatives and the triumphs of the advanced economies of the West.

民主备选项的完全失败和西方发达经济的胜利，证明了民主的成功。

Most of these democracies though made gigantic leaps in prosperity when they were not democracies or when only the educated elites could vote.

尽管绝大多数民主，在他们还不民主或者只有受教育的精英才能投票的时候，就创造出了排山倒海似的繁荣进步。

Their present wealth is built on the headstart won in a period when they were not inconvenienced by democracy.

他们现在的财富来源于没有民主羁绊时的先发优势。

Following Europe’s successful evangelisation of democracy in Asia several nascent nations adopted an element of democracy than even the colonisers had not started with--universal suffrage.

紧跟欧洲民主的成功传播，亚洲一些新兴国家采用了殖民者之前都未曾采用的民主形式——普选。

Thus India quickly created an ignorant and incompetent political class that destroyed the nation for decades.

就这样，印度快速的创造出了一个无能愚昧的政治阶层，几十年来不断的摧毁着这个国家。

-------------译者：izzmo-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

Despite its failures democracy is widely accepted today as a form of absolute social morality and any challenge to it is perceived by most people as corrupt or insane. No informed devotee of democracy would deny that it is flawed but he would say it is still the best idea there is. But what if the flaws of democracy are much more serious than its fans imagine?

尽管民主有失败的地方，但如今，民主是绝对的社会道德，任何对它的挑战都会被大多数人认为是腐败和疯狂的。任何有学问的投票人都会承认民主是有缺陷的，但是他会说，民族依然是最好的制度。但是如果民主的缺陷比他们的粉丝想象得更大呢？

What if the truth is that as the people of the democratic world become more empowered than ever and more vocal and more politicised democracy is becoming an excellent conductor to transmit evil? What if the fact is that the flaws of democracy are amplifying the flaws of human nature? 

如果真相是随着民主世界的人变得更加有权力，更有有话语权，更加政治化，民主正在变成传播邪恶的中坚力量，那该怎么办？如果事实是民主的缺陷正在把人性的缺陷进一步 放大，那又如何？

-------------译者：izzmo-审核者：xin233------------

The 2016 US presidential elections were frequently described by political experts as a consequence of the “dark side” of the Internet. They mean that very dangerous opinions and sheer nonsense are now easily transmitted. But what if it is not the Internet that is dark but electoral democracy in the age of technology? Like the Internet elections are becoming almost perfect mirrors of the society and we are unable to like what we see. 

政治专家认为，2016年美国选举是互联网黑暗面的结果。他们的意思是，危险和尖锐的思想现在很容易被传播。但如果这不是互联网的黑暗，而是科技时代选举制民主的结果呢？互联网选举正在成为社会的明镜，而我们不能去喜欢我们所看到的。

There is another serious problem with modern democracy. Representative democracy which is in reality a protection of the State from total democracy had honourable reasons to exist at the time of its creation. The technology then was such that people could not transmit their wish directly to the centre of power so they had to elect their representatives. But now technology has transformed and all around the world there is pressure on governments to deploy direct democracy or referendums on policies.

现代民主还有另一个严重的问题。在代议制民主成立之初，它存在的光荣理由是在现实中保护国家远离完全民主。在当时的科技条件下，人们不能直接把愿望直接传递到权力中心，所以他们不得不选出他们的代表。但是现在，科技改变了，全世界的政府都承受着采取直接民主和全民公投的压力。

-------------译者：izzmo-审核者：xin233------------

The idea that elected representatives would work hard to make the right decision on complicated matters so that they would earn the right to be re-elected is coming under strain. People especially in advanced economies wonder why they cannot vote on matters directly as the Britons did to decide Brexit. The more efficient a democracy becomes---and direct democracy is purer than representative---the better democracy becomes in conducting evil fear stupidity prejudice and every other dark shade of human nature. This was evident during the Brexit campaign. It does appear that democracy is how regular people protect themselves from the smart. 

理论上，被选举的代表会努力对复杂的问题作出正确的决策，然后他们才能有权再次当选，而这理论现在也处于窘境。正如英国人的脱欧公投，发达经济体的人们问，为什么他们不能直接决策国家事务。民主变得越高效，直接民主就比代议制越纯粹，民主也就越容易传播邪恶、恐惧、愚昧、偏见和其他人性黑暗面。这在脱欧公投中是显而易见的。民主逐渐成为普通人反智的工具。

-------------译者：izzmo-审核者：xin233------------

What then is the alternative? 

所以，民主的备选项是什么？

In the book Against Democracy which was released a few weeks ago political philosopher Jason Brennan argues that democracy is a disaster and that the rising involvement of people in democratic processes would only make things worse. He argues for a system of government called “epistocracy” or the rule of the knowledgeable. People would have to prove their knowledge take a test for instance to win their right to vote. That would eliminate most people. Smart children whom democracy unjustly disqualifies may become voters. But such challenges to democracy do not matter. 

几周之前出版的《反民主》中，政治哲学家Jason Brennan说，民主就是一场灾难，人民越参与民主进程，事情就会越糟糕。他支持一种叫精英政体的政府系统，让有学问的人管理国家。比如说，人民应该通过考试来证明他们的知识，从而获得投票的权利。这样大多数的民众就可以被剔除。民主不公平地认为不够格的聪明孩子也许能成为投票人。但是这点挑战对民主来说并不重要。

Democracies will not voluntarily and peacefully cease to be democracies. Once people have tasted rights especially under the umbrella of a righteous political idea they would not want to lose them. Who is going to tell them peacefully that most of them are too stupid to vote?

民主政体不会自愿和平地结束民主。一旦人们尝到了权利的甜头，尤其是在政治正确的保护伞下，他们就不愿意失去民主。谁会平和地告诉他们太蠢了，不能投票呢？

-------------译者：龙腾翻译总管-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------

That only the smart must have the right to run the country is a common but discreet conviction among people who consider themselves smart. Conservatives express this wish by fantasising about a righteous dictator and the leftists for all their moral charades convey the same wish when they speak of the importance of “institutions”. For what are “institutions” after all but the fiefdoms of unelectable eggheads.

自认为聪明的人普遍谨慎的认为只有他们自己才有权管理国家。保守派通过想象一个正义的独裁者来表达自己的这个愿望，而喜欢道德伪装的左翼则通过讲述“制度”的重要性来表达这一愿望。而所谓的“制度”不过是那些不可能当选的书呆子的封地罢了。

No matter what the aspirations of the elite are it appears that a democracy can only be replaced by something worse. 

所以不论精英们的愿望是什么，貌似民主只能被一个更糟糕的东西所替代。

Manu Joseph is a journalist and the author of the novel The Illicit Happiness of Other People 

本文作者是一名记者，着有小说《他人的非法幸福》


-------------译者：izzmo-审核者：xin233------------

Raj N R26; 2 hours ago
DEAR STUPID LIBTARDS KEEP UP YOUR ARROGANCE. WE WILL GET MORE AND MORE TUMP AND MODI IN THE WORLD.... !!!

亲爱的愚蠢的自由主义（左派）白痴，请收回你的傲慢。在这个世界上，我们会有越来越多的川普和莫迪！！！

Raj N R26; 2 hours ago
AS LONG AS THE LIBERALS WIN THE DEMOCRACY IS GREAT AND EVERYTHING SO NICE. BUT IF THE MAJORITY ELECTS A RIGHT WING LEADER THEN LIBERALS WILL FIND FAULT WITH EVERYTHING.. HOW DISGUSTING !!!

只要左派赢了，民主就是伟大的，世界多么美好。一旦大众选择了右翼领导，自由主义者就会发现每件事情都有缺陷。。。恶心！！！

RajeevS R26; a day ago 
LOL. The alternative is dictatorship of the fiberals - sadly though for them days of such dictatorship are already over.

233.。。所以备选项就是左派独裁咯。。。可悲的是，对于他们来说，这种独裁已经结束了。

-------------译者：izzmo-审核者：xin233------------

Guest R26; a day ago 
"The very idea of representative democracy is to ensure that the State is protected from most of the whims of the masses and is instead run by an elected plutocracy." You got that one wrong side up my friend - The idea behind representative democracy is protect the people from the whims of an autocratic aloof State. Need a refresher on Democracy #101 there. The rest of the piece is BS. Libertarians are great people but sore losers and once lost dangers to democracy. Democracy is indeed a strange animal.

“代议制民主的理论依据是，保证国家远离群众的冲动，然后让财阀统治”，你黑白颠倒了，我的朋友——“代议制民主的理论依据是，保障人民远离毫无人性的独裁者的冲动。”你该复习民主 #101了。剩下写得都是狗屁。左派是很伟大的人，但是一些酸酸的失败者一输就怪罪民主。民主真是一种奇怪的生物。

Chakra R26; a day ago 
So these Intellectuals become Intolerant of Democracy when the results are unexpected !!! And they call others "Intolerant" ??!!

所以一旦结果出乎意料，知识分子就无法忍受民主了！！！然后他们还说别人难以忍受？？！！

-------------译者：izzmo-审核者：xin233------------

amit  @Chakra R26; 20 hours ago 
These are just another minority appeasers

这只是另外的少数派冒尖了。

Chakra R26; a day ago
These MSM guys/ Intellectuals / Liberal groups like democracy when Democracy elects their own candidate. They dislike democracy when it does not do their bidding. Hypocrite to the highest order !

当民主选择了这些主流媒体、知识分子和左派团体的候选人，他们就喜欢民主。民主不买他们的帐，他们就不喜欢民主 。最伪的伪君子。

Ramki339 R26; a day ago 
So after getting horribly wrong with BREXIT TRUMP and earlier MODI now these pseuds want to blame democracy. The arrogance of the leftist fake liberals is astonishing.

所以脱欧公投、川普和莫迪都出错之后，这些假学究就像批判民主。左翼分子真傲慢假自由真是令人震惊。

（译者注：文章出自印度着名记者Manu Joseph）