Tyranny of the Majority
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
In a democratic system, the majority may use legal procedures to oppress minority groups cruelly, or through public opinion pressure, stifle the intellectual freedom of minorities. This social tyranny is harder to escape than political tyranny because it is omnipresent.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
The dark side of democracy. In team decision-making, if 'majority rules' is always applied, those unique, innovative but non-consensus viewpoints (often held by a minority) will be systematically eliminated. Mechanisms must be designed to protect minority dissent (such as a veto power).
Anchor fast decisions
The tyranny of the majority was proposed by Tocqueville, referring to the majority suppressing minority rights and dissent by sheer numbers. The mechanism is that democratic majority can degenerate into oppression of minorities.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny_of_the_majorityverified
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