Pluralism & Tyrannical Factionalism
James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, gives the strongest
argument in favor of the new constitution in Federalist No. 10. He expressed the dangers of
factions and claimed there to be a solution within the Republic. Part of what motivated Madison
to write this paper is past ancient and modern political scholars. Hobbes and Plato were
renowned scholars who opposed democracy as a form of government because of the inevitably
of factions (Dooley, 2021, n.p.). Madison heavily discussed the concept of tyranny of the
majority as it poses a more significant threat to minority rights and justice by working its way
through the ordinary process of government (Bundy, 1987, p. 66). He informed the American
people that the farmers were aware of the threat and instituted a mechanism called federalism to
guard against the threat. Factional control through pluralism was another guard against the
possibility of factional tyranny that Madison presented in his work. This concept was motivated
by and built off of Rousseau's and Aristotal's work. However, pluralism has eroded over the
years in the American Republic, as shown through the lack of diversity in the two-party system
and the scarcity of civic virtue displayed by the American people.
Throughout the course of history, factions have been observed in various parts of the
civilized world. The well-renowned ancient philosopher Plato disliked democracy, as he believed
it allowed factions to seize control and easily create an oppressive system of government
(Dooley, 2021, n.p). His perspective was shaped by living through the Peloponnesian War and
witnessing the execution of his mentor, Socrates (Dooley, 2021, n.p). He argued that a well-
governed regime would be one where knowledge and political power would coincide, whereas
democracies, which are run by the many, will divorce expertise and, therefore, fall into chaos
(Bartscherer, 2023, n.p.). Thomas Hobbes, the prominent British author of “The Leviathan”, did
not favor democracy for the same reason. Hobbes believed that humans were inherently
controlled by their desires of selfishness and not intellect (Dooley, 2021, n.p). Consequently,
humans lean towards power, which allows individuals to possess any means to achieve happiness
and promote their self-interests (Dooley, 2021, n.p). From a Christian perspective, we understand
this to be true, that humans gravitate towards darkness instead of light (New International
Version Bible, 2011, John 3:18-19).
James Madison was inspired to write on this matter because American citizens were
concerned by the fact that many political scholars like Hobbes and Plato disagreed on whether
democracy was a viable form of government, considering the risks of factions taking control.
Madison defined factions as "a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority
of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion or interest,
adverse to the rights of other citizens or the permanent and aggregate interests of the
community."(Madison, 1797, n.p) He contended that differing opinions are bound to create
factions. This is an inevitable consequence of people exercising their own natural right to
property and liberty (Madison, 1787, n.p.). There is no way to eliminate factions unless liberty,
essential to existence, is destroyed (Madison, 1787, n.p.)
Up until this point in history, no democracy or popular form of government was able to
survive, as the injustice of their leaders would create factions. The most popular faction is likely
to obtain power, which could lead to the government system becoming unstable. The American
people understood this, which is why Madison wrote Federalist No. 10, highlighting the concept
of "tyranny of the majority."(Madison, 1787, n.p.) The tyranny of the majority is feared because
a faction of majority rule can work its will through the ordinary processes of government, which
poses a threat to justice and could infringe on minority rights (Bundy, 1987, p. 66). At the same
time, minority rule does not pose a threat because it would simply be outvoted (Madison, 1787,
n.p.). Madison states that tyranny of the majority poses a great threat to direct or pure
democracy; however, pure democracy was not what was being proposed through the
constitution; a republic was. (Bundy, 1987, p. 66-67)
The American farmers instituted federalism in the Constitution to protect the republic
against tyranny. Federalism is a form of government that divides authority and diffuses power
through a tripartite system of checks and balances for the sake of ordered liberty. It is a
hierarchical system that flows from the local governments all the way up to the national.
Madison contended in Federalist No. 10 that because factions are created locally, they can be
contained and even become weaker with every step they take up the political chain in this
government structure (Madison, 1787, n.p.).
The farmers also established a system where no state by population could control the
national government. In the Senate, every state would be given only two seats. Therefore, this
prevents one large state, such as New York or Virginia, from controlling a majority of the
national government's power. However, states that have a considerable populace would still be
granted a voice in representation through the House of Representatives. Although this form of a
republic or representative democracy does not promise the absence of factions causing tyranny, it
provides significant security against tyranny.
Factional control through pluralism is the concept where political power can be
controlled within a greater sphere of diversity. If people with dramatically different points of
view possess the same liberty, it will create a check on the balance of power. The greater the
diversity and variety of parties (factions), the less likely a faction will dominate and lead to
tyranny (Madison, 1787, n.p.). However, Pluralism does rely on civic virtue. Madison expressed
that pluralism is more likely to occur in a republic and within a large republic than in a small one
(Madison, 1787, n.p.). The division between thirteen unique states would conglomerate a union,
creating pluralism within the government.
Rousseau was one of the modern political thinkers that inspired Madison. Rousseau
contributed through his Servian solution, which proposed dividing the electorate into multiple
voting groups, equalizing their power, and avoiding cross-group factions (Opera, 2019, p. 596).
The idea of diversity of thought, integrated with voters' diversity, would prevent a single faction
from taking over. Differences in Madison's political philosophy led him to believe that a republic
was less vulnerable to tyranny than Rousseau's argument that democracy was only possible in
small communities. (Opera, 2019, p. 596).
Aristotle has influenced a myriad of political theorists throughout history, which is why it
is no surprise that Madison drew from his work as well. In his view, political engagement was
crucial for achieving human happiness, as it was the goal of life (Inamura, 2015, n.p). In
Pluralism, it is assumed that citizens will actively participate in their republic. As a result,
Madison believed that factions would be kept under control because of civic virtue.
The idea of pluralism prevents the tyranny of the majority through diversity, which
heavily relies on the significant factor that Americans would be civically engaged. However, this
is different in the United States, as in the 2020 presidential election, only 61.3% of eligible voters
participated in casting their ballot (Bureau, 2021, n.p.). There is a considerable gap between
those who do their civic duty and those who do and do not participate. Consequently, pluralism
has eroded, causing the republic to degenerate.
Preventing cross-group factions through Pluralism would have been ideal; however,
America has consistently had a two-party system. These two parties or factions are often opposed
to one another on an ideological basis. Therefore, the American people are placed into two
groups when it comes to politics causing a lack of diversity when it comes to voting for a
representative; it must be either or. Third-party candidates have contributed to diversifying the
system, but historically, they have not won many elections and have never won a presidential
election. Therefore, due to the lack of diversity, Pluralism in America has been significantly
eroded and is close to nonexistent.
In conclusion, Madison offers the most compelling argument for the Constitution while
addressing what is most feared and a solution to the problem. He examined why factions were
inevitable as they are a consequence of individuals practicing their rights to property in the laws
of nature and under a democratic form of government (Madison, 1787, n.p.). Drawing ideas from
Hobbes and Plato, Madison was able to articulate why majority factions pose such a threat to
democracy. Instituting federalism guarded against this tyranny as it was a hierarchal system, and
the further up the chain of power, the less likely the factions were to procure as they began
locally. Each state was also fairly represented by population but still had the same representation
in the Senate. Madison claimed the concept of factional control through pluralism by examining
other political thinkers, such as Rousseau and Aristotle. The downfall of pluralism is that it
heavily relies on civic virtue and diversity to keep factions in check. The erosion of diversity is
seen in America today as only around sixty percent of eligible voters practice this virtue, leaving
a substantial portion of the population unrepresented (Bureau, 2021, n.p.). This erosion is also
reflected in the two-party system, where voters are left with only two options, and a third-party
candidate typically fails to win elections. Although he could not have predicted the erosion of
References
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Dooley, K. L. (2021). Why politics matters an introduction to political science. Cengage
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https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/new-international-version-niv-bible/
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