Institute for Social Renewal - Threefold Society

Democracy is generally recognized in the modern world as the appropriate administrative principle for government. How we characterize democracy and what we recognize as the proper jurisdiction of the political state are essential factors in forming an open, just, and civil society.

Two fundamental aspects of a democratic society are the social equality and respect of all people and rule by the majority of citizens or their representatives rather than by elite and powerful minority groups. State action should limited to those issues that every adult is capable of considering and deciding upon in common with all other adults. Consequently, issues that involve private matters and individual beliefs or personal perspectives such as religious views, or technical or professional expertise such as business decisions are not matters that the majority should determine and, therefore, are not within the province of the State.

The primary function of the State is to recognize and uphold human rights, maintain security, and protect the environment. Everything beyond this should be considered outside its appropriate scope of action, including the individual freedoms listed at the end of the Cultural Life section. Only by so circumscribing the States' activities can it effectively identify and defend the rights of its citizens.

Furthermore, in the sequence of authority, democratically determined rights are primary and original and, therefore, need to be taken as a given by the economy. This means, for instance, that corporate interests must obey the laws and regulations of the political State rather than using their economic power to influence legislation and judicial rulings according to purely economic interests and needs. Such acts on the part of business should be viewed by society as criminal of the highest order.

Transparency and truthfulness are also essential components of a true democracy. In the main, there should be no covert actions or operations by any elected or appointed official or employee of the government. The only exceptions would be in military operations during a declared war. These exceptions should be stringently limited in duration and extent.

So too, taking democracy seriously requires that all government officials must be held to the strictest standards regarding truthfulness. Any person lacking integrity and honesty in this regard is not fit to hold any public office or position. Consequences for such transgressions should be swift and severe.

In a modern industrial society, in addition to rights having to do with human relations, there are certain rights connected to an equitable distribution of wealth that also need to be recognized and upheld. These include a worker's right to a living wage and healthcare and the right of a child to an education.

In summary, the Institute for Social Renewal is dedicated to educating the public on Rudolf Steiner's views, which illustrate that the following principles are essential to any modern political state based on democracy:

· Equality and respect for all people.
· Majority rule rather than rule by powerful individuals or interest groups.
· Limiting State action to upholding and recognizing human rights, providing security, and environmental protection.
· Eliminating undue corporate influence on the State.
· Transparency in all government operations.
· Truthfulness by all government officials.
· Distribution of wealth rights regarding wages, health care, and the education of children.
· Honoring inalienable individual freedoms.