What is a Democratic Revolution?

Athena 1 (1):124-152 (2021)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Can we demonstrate that nothing in the world is more beautiful than democracy? This is the crucial question addressed in this study, which argues that, yes, we can indeed demonstrate such a thing. But to this end, it needs to be shown that democracy is based on a universal philosophical principle, one that rises above each nation’s particular democratic experiences and political regimes. This higher principle, I submit, is that of “nonsuffering,” standing as a universal humanist foundation for the democratic norm, beyond all empirical experiences of democracy, but capable of encompassing all of them. The universality of this principle of nonsuffering is yet to be demonstrated, to be sure, but it can be understood as the origin from which come the five principles of the democratic norm: dignity, freedom, equality, participation in public affairs, and the rule of law. In history, democratic revolutions invoke these five principles globally. Which means that, in seeking to effect political, economic, and social change, revolutions give us proof that their core impetus is moral—their ultimate aim being to give effect to the principle of nonsuffering.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 93,990

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Fairness, equality, and democracy: Three big words.Sidney Verba - 2006 - Social Research: An International Quarterly 73 (2):499-540.
Fairness, Equality, and Democracy: Three Big Words.Sidney Verba - 2006 - Social Research: An International Quarterly 73:499-540.
Democracy and legitimacy in plurinational societies.Genevieve Nootens - 2009 - Contemporary Political Theory 8 (3):276-294.
Democracy and Fair Labor Conditions.Axel Honneth - 2023 - Journal of Business Ethics 184 (1):1-10.
Towards an African Theory of Democracy.A. K. Fayemi - 2009 - Thought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya 1 (1):101-126.
Towards an African Theory of Democracy.Ademola Kazeem Fayemi - 2009 - Thought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya 1 (1):101-126.
Firms as coalitions of democratic cultures: towards an organizational theory of workplace democracy.Roberto Frega - 2024 - Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 27 (3):405-428.

Analytics

Added to PP
2022-06-27

Downloads
1 (#1,919,373)

6 months
1 (#1,722,767)

Historical graph of downloads

Sorry, there are not enough data points to plot this chart.
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references