The ideological conviction that democratic systems—elections, majority rule, public deliberation—are inherently more legitimate, moral, and effective than any other form of governance, often to the point of dismissing their documented flaws (tyranny of the majority, voter suppression, political polarization) as mere "growing pains." This bias leads to the assumption that any policy or leader chosen by a majority vote is ipso facto right, and that non-democratic societies are inherently backward or illegitimate, ignoring that democracies can produce deeply unjust outcomes and that other systems may have different strengths.
Example: After a referendum passes a law stripping a minority group of rights, proponents dismiss ethical objections by saying, "The people have spoken democratically. To oppose this is to oppose democracy itself." This Democratic Bias treats the process (a vote) as a moral forcefield, absolving the outcome (oppression) from further critique.
by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026
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