Daily Dialectic

Deliberative democracy is a more idealized form of democratic system, emphasising public reason over group interests. It allows for a more reasoned exploration of the issues facing a given governing body, with it having greater epistemic value through producing better solutions than alternative forms of democracy. For a deliberative democracy to function however, it requires three essential components: firstly, equality in terms of value placed on views as well as votes. Secondly, a commitment to public reason – all political perspectives ought only be accepted or criticized on the communicated rational arguments. Finally, there must be a commitment to cognitive diversity – many theorists emphasize that a wider range of cultural, historical and socioeconomic perspectives improves decision making beyond that of any individual competence.

If all views are equal, diversity of viewpoints is important and the only requirement for deliberation is to have a publically reasoned argument, we need to extend political equality to children. Deliberation can be done by anyone with the rational and communicative tools to do so, and children have a unique perspective that should not be silenced if they have the capacity to engage this way.