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MCAT-The nature of democracy requires that its citizens be dependent upon one another [3]
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Prompt: The nature of democracy requires that its citizens be dependent upon one another.
Describe a specific situation in which citizens in a democracy might justifiably not be dependent upon one another. Discuss what you think determines when citizens in a democracy should be dependent upon one another.
In a democracy, the citizens need to make collective decisions on what is good for their society. For example, in the 2008 general elections in the United States, if only one person believed that Barack Obama would have been a suitable president to lead this country out of the recession, this one person's belief would have been relatively insignificant when making the decision. In order to make the Obama supporter's wish come true, the majority of Americans need to hold the same opinion. In this manner, the wish of the single Obama supporter depended on the support and opinions of millions of other Americans. Choosing a president with the suitable skills, charisma and political views is instrumental in building and maintaining a healthy society and economy. It is unreasonable for this important task to fall to one or a group of people. Therefore, each person's power to make decisions is limited, and each person needs to depend on other people to support his decision if they think it's appropriate or to correct him if they think he is wrong.
However, citizens do not necessary depend on other people when they make certain decisions regarding their private lives. For example, choosing a good university major was a very personal decision for me. While I did consult with my family and friends to gather their opinion, ultimately, I made the choice based on personal interest and goals. In this case, what is important for me does not influence the interest of the society as a whole. The function of the society and the interest of other citizens did not depend on whether I chose to study chemistry or biology. Other people's opinions and decisions also did not play a role in whether or not I was going to reach my goal.
It is clear to see the distinction between these two situations. Decisions that can influence the wellbeing of society can have serious consequences. No single person can have the best ideas and most in-depth knowledge about every single aspect of running a country, when making important social and political decisions. Therefore, to ensure the best decision is made, each citizen may need to depend on other people to confirm their decisions, compensate for their lack of knowledge and correct their mistakes. However, making personal decisions that do not influence society as a whole should not depend on other people. Most people in society do not have the intimate and in-depth knowledge of our personal situations that is required in such instances. Moreover, even if a poor decision has been made, there is very little impact on society. Therefore, it is not essential to depend on other people.