The Value of Democracy

Successful democracies are said to require at least four optimally maintained conditions in society: high ideals, good institutions, citizens who believe in the ideals and participate actively in the institutions, and excellent leadership.

The challenge of turning democratic values into democratic practices is becoming both more important and more difficult in an increasingly complex world.  Building and sustaining trust in the public institutions of business, government and civil society are key components of this challenge.

Decision-makers, citizens and consumers wrestle with decisions about the trustworthiness of expert advice.  Competing claims about reliable knowledge and shared ethics present significant personal and policy challenges in sifting true from false and right from wrong.  Further, renewed contestation about the relationship between revealed truth and scientific truth presents new dilemmas about the appropriate sources of political and moral authority.

This important Symposium offers participants the opportunity to examine the many issues surrounding the relationship between democracy, trust and power.