> i don't see how a hierarchy results....all 'minorities' have the threat of
> being blocked by other minorities...
Shane posted an excerpt from Bookchin that I'll defer to, as I pretty much agree with him in his criticism of consensus. I don't agree with Bookchin on everything, but on this point I do.
Having said that, I don't see that consensus is a problem for smaller, more intimate groups like the example I gave of 4 or 5 people living in a single house. But if we're talking decision-making structures suitable for production and distribution in a society that is interconnected globally, democracy seems like the only workable solution to me. The tension between expediency of process and respect for individual input is someting all of us who want a radical economy have to confront. We can't find the perfect system, only the best one.
And yes, I do like democracy more. Part of that is personal experience with consensus-based groups, part of it is simply concern that a few (or even one) people not be allowed to constantly subvert the majority's wishes, as happens in our current society.
As Bookchin said, consensus really does cede too much power to big, sovereign egos who insist on getting their way all the time, and "principally object" whenever they don't, even if they're holding up the rest of the group from acting.
Brian