delirevative democracy
DOCUMENTO DE TRABAJO N° 19
Deliberative Democracy and the Politics of Reason
Maria Esperanza Casullo
Agosto de 2007
1
Documento de Trabajo N° 19
María Esperanza Casullo
2007
SERIE “DOCUMENTOS DE TRABAJO”
ESCUELA DE POLITICA Y GOBIERNO
Universidad Nacional de San Martín www.unsam.edu.ar SERIE “DOCUMENTO DE TRABAJO” DE LA ESCUELA POLITICA Y GOBIERNO
DE LA UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE SAN MARTIN
La serie de Documentos de Trabajo refleja parte de las actividades de investigación la
Escuela de Política y Gobierno. Los documentos difunden productos parciales y preliminares de investigación, propuestas de trabajo y ponencias presentadas en congresos nacionales e internacionales.
Para obtener copias de la Serie solicitarlas a documentosdetrabajoepg@unsam.edu.ar
2
Documento de Trabajo N° 19
María Esperanza Casullo
2007
Maria Esperanza Casullo
Dissertation: Expanding the Borders of Democracy
Draft of Chapter One: Deliberative Democracy and the Politics of Reason
CHAPTER ONE: DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY THE POLITICS OF REASON
The 20th century might very well be remembered as the time in history where one of the oldest circles of political theory was finally squared: how to combine democratic politics and rationality. And this would be a remarkable achievement, indeed. For democracy has been regarded, ever since the times of Plato and Aristotle, as incompatible with a rational and just rule. For Plato, rationality and order were exclusive of the higher regime that he called aristocracy—the one in which the wisest and better ruled. For
Aristotle (always the realist), justice and order might never be achieved, even in an aristocracy, but stability depended of the existence of a republic, or polity. 1 For both, democracy, the rule of the demos, or mass, was doomed to chaos, demagoguery, and even descent into tyranny.
Mistrust towards democracy was almost universal until well into the 19th century, and conformed the political common
Deliberative Democracy and the Politics of Reason
Maria Esperanza Casullo
Agosto de 2007
1
Documento de Trabajo N° 19
María Esperanza Casullo
2007
SERIE “DOCUMENTOS DE TRABAJO”
ESCUELA DE POLITICA Y GOBIERNO
Universidad Nacional de San Martín www.unsam.edu.ar SERIE “DOCUMENTO DE TRABAJO” DE LA ESCUELA POLITICA Y GOBIERNO
DE LA UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE SAN MARTIN
La serie de Documentos de Trabajo refleja parte de las actividades de investigación la
Escuela de Política y Gobierno. Los documentos difunden productos parciales y preliminares de investigación, propuestas de trabajo y ponencias presentadas en congresos nacionales e internacionales.
Para obtener copias de la Serie solicitarlas a documentosdetrabajoepg@unsam.edu.ar
2
Documento de Trabajo N° 19
María Esperanza Casullo
2007
Maria Esperanza Casullo
Dissertation: Expanding the Borders of Democracy
Draft of Chapter One: Deliberative Democracy and the Politics of Reason
CHAPTER ONE: DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY THE POLITICS OF REASON
The 20th century might very well be remembered as the time in history where one of the oldest circles of political theory was finally squared: how to combine democratic politics and rationality. And this would be a remarkable achievement, indeed. For democracy has been regarded, ever since the times of Plato and Aristotle, as incompatible with a rational and just rule. For Plato, rationality and order were exclusive of the higher regime that he called aristocracy—the one in which the wisest and better ruled. For
Aristotle (always the realist), justice and order might never be achieved, even in an aristocracy, but stability depended of the existence of a republic, or polity. 1 For both, democracy, the rule of the demos, or mass, was doomed to chaos, demagoguery, and even descent into tyranny.
Mistrust towards democracy was almost universal until well into the 19th century, and conformed the political common