“All voting is a sort of gaming” -Explain with reference to the context. [2021] ✪✪✪ Or, Why does Thoreau think that voting is merely a sort of a gaming? [2019, 2017]

Aristotle called democracy a system of government for fools because all citizens’ votes are of equal value. Following his tone, Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) criticizes blind faith in democracy. He believes moral truth cannot be decided by majority vote. For him, voting is not a duty of conscience but only a weak expression of opinion.

Meaning of the Statement: Thoreau compares voting to gambling because both depend on chance. He says that people vote for the right as players bet on luck. He writes, 

“Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it.”

Majority Rule vs. Moral Right: In a democracy, the majority often decides what becomes law. But Thoreau argues that numbers cannot define right and wrong. He asks,