Chapter IV: The Ethics of Elfland Summary and Analysis

It is often thought that as men age they stop caring about lofty ideals and concern themselves instead with practical realities. However, as one ages one really starts to lose faith in the practical world: Politicians, regulators, and laws wind up disappointing, but ideas remain forever the same. One idea that the author has always been attached to is his devotion to democracy. The principles of democracy can be summarized briefly: The most important thing about humans are those things which they hold in common and, further, that one thing they all hold in common is the desire to be in charge of government. Unlike other activities, like medicine or law, in which it is preferable only that experts be allowed to practice, the running of government is something which all...