今日のテーマは、民主主義の利点は欠点を上回るか、です。
民主主義か、独裁政権(dictatorship)か、というと民主主義のほうが圧倒的に説得力のあるエッセーを書けると思います。特に、昨今のロシア侵攻の様子を見ていると、独裁者というのは本当に怖いと思います。

理由①：法の支配(the rule of law)によって、基本的な人権が守られる
理由②：表現の自由(freedom of expression)により、技術革新や芸術/文化が促進される経済的なメリットがある
理由③： 暴力に頼ることなく、政治変革(political reform)を実施することができる


Q: Agree or disagree: The benefits of democracy outweigh its disadvantage?

A:サンプルエッセー（賛成）

　Today, about half of the countires in the world are purely or mostly democratic countries. Although there are some disadvantages to democracy, such as populism and time-consuming decision making (←民主主義の欠点の例示), I think that the benefits of democracy outweigh its disadvantages for the following three reasons.

　Firstly, democracy protects people from violation of their fundamental human rights. Unlike a dictatorship or totalitarianism, democracy prevents prolonged cruel or unjust abuse of power, and guarantees every citizens the right to freedom of speech and religion.

Secondly, democracy can facilitate political reform without having to resort to any form of violence. In a democracy, if a leader is not able to perform well while in office, citizens can select more effective government leaders in elections. By giving people the freedom to vote and a sense of involvement in politics, democracy allows citizens to make a decision in the country they live in.

Finally, democracy contributes to the promotion of technological development. Under democracy, people have chances to exchange opinions freely on anything, which is more likely to generate new ideas and discoveries. On the other hand, non-democratic countries often restrict how people think or behave, thus hampering technological innovations.

In conclusion, for the above-mentioned three reasons, the protection of fundamental human rights, the facilitation of political reforms, and the promotion of technical development, I think that the benefits of democracy outweigh its disadvantages.

【語彙】
totalitarianism 全体主義
resort to violence 暴力に訴える
hamper innovation 革新を妨げる