The Democratic Paradox
Verso Books · Paperback · June 9, 2009
From the theory of ‘deliberative democracy’ to the politics of the ‘third way’, the present Zeitgeist is characterized by attempts to deny what Chantal Mouffe contends is the inherently conflictual nature of democratic politics.
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- Who it’s for
- A bracing argument that democratic politics cannot simply wish conflict away.
- Themes
- Conflict in democratic politics, The adversary in liberal democracy, Political antagonism
- Genres
- Democracy, Political Philosophy, Political History & Ideas
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From the theory of ‘deliberative democracy’ to the politics of the ‘third way’, the present Zeitgeist is characterized by attempts to deny what Chantal Mouffe contends is the inherently conflictual nature of democratic politics. Far from being signs of progress, such ideas constitute a serious threat to democratic institutions.
Continue reading
Taking issue with John Rawls and Jürgen Habermas on one side, and the political tenets of Blair, Clinton and Schröder on the other, Mouffe brings to the fore the paradoxical nature of modern liberal democracy in which the category of the ‘adversary’ plays a central role. She draws on the work of Wittgenstein, Derrida, and the provocative theses of Carl Schmitt, to propose a new understanding of democracy which acknowledges the ineradicability of antagonism in its workings.
Democracy in Conflict
A bracing argument that democratic politics cannot simply wish conflict away.
Come here for
- A challenge to visions of politics built on consensus
- The adversary’s central place in liberal democracy
Expect
- A theoretical argument drawing on Wittgenstein, Derrida, and Schmitt
- A serious examination of democracy’s conflictual nature
Where it sits
| Democracy | 81% |
|---|---|
| Political Philosophy | 68% |
| Political History & Ideas | 34% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Political Philosophy
- Democracy
- Anarchism
- Authors
- Chantal Mouffe
- Publisher
- Verso Books
- Published
- June 9, 2009
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Conflict in democratic politics · The adversary in liberal democracy · Political antagonism
- Reading lane
- Political Philosophy