There's certainly no easy answer to this. Philosophers have been debating about morality and goodness since Aristotle. The most important question to ask is, does good even exist? Can you find goodness in the external world or is "good" simply a word that happens to have a meaning attached to it? If we can discover absolute moral truths then at least we have a tool to measure the actions of humans. Otherwise how can anyone truly decide what is to be considered good? Immanuel Kant goes further and says even a virtuous man can perform bad deeds in the absence of a good "will". Morality then comes from a sense of duty. Kant's ethical theory is the one I follow in my private life.

Meth, after thinking about it maybe I should narrow the term democracy down a bit and instead call it the "failed liberal dream". I think that's how Leo Strauss would have referred to it.

Jacky, that sounds fair. Also it's awesome that you're a fan of Immanuel Kant. I also enjoy his ideas despite the dryness of the reading.