Abstract

Direct democracy and indirect democracy issue is a hot topic in contemporary political philosophy. Based on the secret "representative government" re-interpretation, to clarify the direct relationship between democracy and indirect democracy. Mill systematic exposition of the problems of representative democracy, his theory of indirect democracy contains elements of direct democracy. On the one hand the people personally Mill politics of direct democracy as the basis and premise of representative democracy, to clarify the people's participation in direct democracy, legitimacy, rationality; other hand, he has a profound analysis of people's participation in direct democracy may take to the ills and dangers. In fact, direct democracy is a double-edged sword, both can become a weapon to overcome the tyranny, but also may lead to tyranny of the majority; can become free of the security, may also become the enemies of freedom. Therefore, according to the actual situation, Li Yang avoid its evils, the design of the political system, the correct and appropriate use of the form of direct democracy, to ensure the people's political participation. The issue of direct democracy and indirect democracy is one of the hotspots of the contemporary political philosophy. This paper clarifies the relationship between direct democracy and indirect democracy more clearly by the re-unscrambling of John Stuart Mill's Considerations On Representative Government. Mill expatiated upon the theme of representative government systematically. It includes the elements of direct democracy in his theory of indirect democracy. On the one hand, Mill took the direct democracy coming from the people's political participation as the base and precondition of representative democracy, clarified the justice and rationality of the direct democracy; on the other hand, he analyzed profoundly the possible disadvantages and dangers coming from direct democracy? the people themselves participate the political affairs. Actually, direct democracy is a sword with double blades, it can become the weapon of overcoming the tyranny, and it can also lead to the tyranny of the majority; it can be the guarantee of freedom, and the enemy of it, too. Therefore, we should develop the advantages and stay away from the disadvantages of direct democracy according to the practical situations, and in order to guarantee the people's political participation, we should use direct democracy correctly and moderately in the design of the political system