Democracy guarantees its citizens a number of fundamental rights that nondemocratic systems do not, and cannot, grant. Democracy insures citizens a broader range of personal freedom than any feasible alternative to it. Democracy helps people to protect their own fundamental interests. Only a democratic government can provide a maximum opportunity for persons to exercise the freedom of self determination- that is, to live under laws of their own choosing. Only a democratic government can provide a maximum opportunity for exercising moral responsibility.
Democracy fosters human development more fully than feasidble alternative.
Only a democratic government can foster a relatively high degree of political equality. Modern representative democracies do not fight wars with one another. Countries with democratic governments tend to be more prosperous than countries with nondemocratic governments. Throughout On Democracy , Dahl emphasizes the importance of words and their definitions. According to this everyone is free to call any government a democracy, even a despotic one.