In the theory and practice of democratic governance, Ted Becker and his colleague/wife, Christa Slaton have come up with a benchmark study. In wholly three distinct but interrelated areas. First with respect to our changed cosmological worldview, they argue the case that our post-Newtonian worldview demands an entirely new set of principles for the discipline of political science. Second, in the specific venue of scientific deliberative polling, they document their own empirical findings as well as those of others and present conclusions squarely at variance with those of mainstream political scientists. Third, in the role of the futurist, they chart a future that should be welcomed by the portion of our citizenry which remains disenfranchised, as well as those disillusioned, and alienated. On any one of these parameters of exploration, this is a book well worth delving into by that spectrum of the electorate which is looking for something simply sane in politics.

With respect to the first realm of their exploration (Part I), the authors hold to the view that the paradigmatic shift in the view of Universe and ourselves in this Universe--born of the 20th century discoveries of relativity, quantum mechanics and chaos theory--shows that mainstream political science is out of date by two centuries. Worse still, it is not just irrelevant but systemically dysfunctional and counterproductive. In getting to this position, they use as one of their points of embarkation the view of a Harvard professor of government of some 70 years ago, William Bennett Munro. They cite him as “quantum political science’s first voyager” (p. 38).. Munro in 1928 they point out “chided American political scientists, political commentators, leaders and gurus for continuing to be ‘in bondage to eighteenth-century deification of the abstract individual man’ ” (p. 39). From Munro’s view as well as other visionaries such as Buckminster Fuller, Eric Fromm and Hazel Henderson, Becker and Slaton then move into the principles and theory for “modernizing the marriage between physics, politics and the science of government (p.. 21). Here in their first area of exploration these modern day voyagers provide the reader with a pioneering draft of a quantum politics, a quantum political science. Mind-expanding stuff worth pondering.

In the second vector of their voyage, (Part II), Becker and Slaton lay out the scientific findings from their own experimental studies as well as of others in the field of teledemocracy. The latter they define as “scientific deliberative polling + comprehensive electronic town meetings + the Internet”. [ + Voting] = deliberative direct democracy (p. 47). What they persuasively show here is that ordinary people no less than academics and other well informed citizens when provided with a full range of information and the opportunity to deliberate in a conducive context can move from unstable public opinion to sensible public judgment and do so with reasonable facility. Once again in trajectory two The Future of Teledemocracy is chock full of documentation for readers to immerse themselves in profitably.

In the third area of their voyage, (Part III), the authors project a scenario in which we in the 21st century are moving from an 18th century Newtonian hierarchical age of governance into a non-hierarchical, lateral and interactive deliberative democratic governance. Here more clearly than heretofore, they foresee, and yes, argue for Initiative and Referendum as integral if not centerpiece in “the Global Direct Democracy Movement (p. 158-165), But it is here also that Homer nods--not once but twice....

Their first nod occurs in their treatment of what they classify as one of those “extraordinary transformational ideas and recommendations about the citizens initiative process (p. 163)” This is Philadelphia II (P.-2). In my view P-2 is the most peacefully revolutionary plan of action on the horizon to bring about systemic change in governance: It is a project the authors point out created and “led by a former U. S. senator from Alaska (1968-80), Mike Gravel. Philadelphia II is bringing forward a “national citizens initiative” which the authors see as “within New Democratic Paradigm parameters” in light of “how to achieve it.” p. 163.

So far so good. Their first Homeric nod consists of a critically significant misperception within the P-2 Initiative process. They mislead the reader on how a projected federal agency-- designed to administer citizens initiative election--is to become enacted. They state: “Congress...[is] to set up something called ‘the Electoral Trust’ (ET). which would be a new, largely independent agency of the U. S. government.” Wrong! The people will directly enact the ET. Additionally, according to P-2’s Direct Democracy Initiative (DDI), “[t]here are hereby appropriated, from the Treasury of the United States...funds to enable the Electoral Trust to organize itself...and begin the performance of its duties.” .... The consequence of the authors’ s e mistaken view is they fail to present to the reader the political sovereignty that is implied and will come into play as a result of the creation of a “Legislature of the People” via Initiative. The partnership between the Legislature of the People and the Congress in the P-2 plan of implementation (and all other legislative assemblies) will be rightly ordered with the Sovereign, the People being functionally sovereign. Not so in Becker and Slaton’s mistaken description.

Their second Homeric nod occurs as a result of the authors’ failure to situate the “public opinion poll” for qualifying an initiative for a vote into the full context of the deliberative procedures included in P-2 (p. 191). When the associated P-2 deliberative support procedures is taken into consideration, one could argue that the end result will be precisely what the authors seek as their end game:: “‘scientific deliberative polls embedded within a comprehensive Electronic Town Meeting process“ as described in Chapter 5)” (p. 38).

Setting aside these two missteps, I heartily endorse The Future of Teledemocracy.....