Conscious Enterprises Network

  Democracy vs Republic: Why The Labels Matter Less Than The Principles of  United Nations and global community by D. Conterno (2025)     We often throw around the words “democracy” and “republic” as if they were opposites. In the dialogue I was reflecting on recently, the speaker drew a sharp line: A “democracy” was described as unlimited majority rule , with no protection for individual or minority rights. A “republic” was described as a system that still uses democratic voting , but where a constitution limits the majority in order to protect individual and minority rights. This distinction has deep roots in certain strands of American constitutional thinking (Madison, Federalist No. 10, the fear of “tyranny of the majority”). However, in today’s global context, these words are used very differently   and the real issue is something deeper and more urgent. I want to unpack this in a way that is relevant to conscious leaders, policy-makers, ...