%A Han Zhen %T Democracy as a Way to Social Compromise %0 Journal Article %D 2006 %J Front. Philos. China %J Frontiers of Philosophy in China %@ 1673-3436 %R 10.1007/s11466-005-0009-9 %P 1-5 %V 1 %N 1 %U {https://journal.hep.com.cn/fpc/EN/10.1007/s11466-005-0009-9 %8 2006-03-05 %X In modern society, democracy as a symbol of social civilization and progress is cherished. Any government or organization, whether truly democratic or not, will claim that it is democratic while its opponents are not. However, as a historical notion, democracy does not possess the quality of absoluteness. In my view, democracy, in its original meaning, should be understood as a way to social compromise, whose aim is to guarantee a relatively fair political life.