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User:Ultramarine

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This user is interested in Utilitarianism, the belief that a moral action is one which increases the total happiness of humanity.


Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.
Sir Winston Churchill
The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.
Robert Maynard Hutchins
Information is the currency of democracy
Thomas Jefferson

My POV

My own POV is that liberal democracy and capitalism overall are beneficial.

No wars and no conflicts causing any battle deaths between liberal democracies (See Never at War and Democratic peace theory). Little democide, corruption, and few civil wars. No liberal democracy has had a large scale famine. More democratic nations have higher average self-reported happiness (See Liberal democracy).

The Index of Economic Freedom is way to measure the degree of capitalism in different nations. More capitalist nations have less poverty. Note that also nations with high progressive taxation, like Sweden, can be very capitalist. See also Ease of Doing Business Index and Global Competitiveness Report. Due to globalization, poverty is rapidly declinig around the world.

However, there are of course many opposing arguments and I have tried to include the views of both sides in order to achieve NPOV. I believe that the capitalist system must include policies redistributing wealth from the most wealthy, since it is easier for the already wealthy to gradually accumulate more wealth than it is for the poor to gain any wealth. Therefore, relatively high progressive taxation, wealth tax, and/or inheritance tax.

I strongly believe in the fundamental Misplaced Pages policies Misplaced Pages:Verifiability, Misplaced Pages:No original research, and Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view. In particular, I like to read and support what I write with peer-reviewed articles and academic press.

Graphs I have created

  • World GDP/capita 1-2003 AD. World GDP/capita 1-2003 AD.
  • The percentage of the world's population living on less than $1 per day (black line) has halved in twenty years. Graph shows the years 1981-2001. The percentage of the world's population living on less than $1 per day (black line) has halved in twenty years. Graph shows the years 1981-2001.
  • Life expectancy has been increasing and converging for most of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa has recently seen a decline, partly related to the AIDS epidemic. Graph shows the years 1950-2005. Life expectancy has been increasing and converging for most of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa has recently seen a decline, partly related to the AIDS epidemic. Graph shows the years 1950-2005.
  • Number of nations 1800-2003 scoring 8 or higher on Polity IV scale, a measure of democracy. Graph shows the years 1800-2003. Number of nations 1800-2003 scoring 8 or higher on Polity IV scale, a measure of democracy. Graph shows the years 1800-2003.
  • Freedom House scores nations on political freedom. Freedom House scores nations on political freedom.
  • World map of the Ease of Doing Business Index. Green nations rank higher, red nations lower. Each color represent one quartile of the ranked nations. World map of the Ease of Doing Business Index. Green nations rank higher, red nations lower. Each color represent one quartile of the ranked nations.
  • World map of the 2006-2007 Global Competitiveness Index. Each color represent one quartile of the ranked nations. Green nations score higher, red nations lower. Grey nations are not ranked. World map of the 2006-2007 Global Competitiveness Index. Each color represent one quartile of the ranked nations. Green nations score higher, red nations lower. Grey nations are not ranked.
  • Charts showing Economic freedom various other indicators. The red bars shows nations with less economic freedom, the green bars those with more. More economic freedom correlates very strongly with higher average income per person, higher income of the poorest 10%, higher life expectancy, higher literacy, lower infant mortality, higher access to clean water sources, and less corruption. Charts showing Economic freedom various other indicators. The red bars shows nations with less economic freedom, the green bars those with more. More economic freedom correlates very strongly with higher average income per person, higher income of the poorest 10%, higher life expectancy, higher literacy, lower infant mortality, higher access to clean water sources, and less corruption.

Other interesting graphs

  • Green = Happiest > Blue > Purple > Orange > Red = Least Happy; Grey = Data not available Green = Happiest > Blue > Purple > Orange > Red = Least Happy; Grey = Data not available