Pluralism

Pluralism generally is defined as the quality or state of being plural. Often, pluralism is used in the context of political science, particularly related to modern democracy. David Truman and Robert Dahl are two important exponents of political pluralism, which typically has competed with elitism and majoritarianism as a view of modern democratic societies. In its essence, political pluralism is the idea that individuals form interest groups that then compete with each other for favorable government policies. No group has more inherent power than another, and public officials (after lobbying by the interest groups) decide on policy based on their views of the public interest. An important feature of political pluralism is the understanding that competing groups’ values are equally valid—that is, the claims made ...