Consensus and power in deliberative democracy

Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 49 (3):265 – 289 (2006)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

How does public discussion contribute to the reasonableness with which power is exercised in a democracy? Contemporary answers to this question (such as formulated by Rawls or Habermas), are often based upon two interconnected preconceptions. These are, 1. the idea that the value of public discussion lies primarily in the fact that citizens can reach a reasonable consensus through argumentation and discussion and, 2. the belief that the exercise of power is legitimate only if it is determined by a reasonable consensus among citizens. In this sense, 'reasonable consensus among citizens' eliminates, under ideal conditions, the 'autonomy' of the exercise of power. However, these ideals of democracy appear to conflict with certain aspects of democratic society; aspects, moreover, which we tend to value quite highly. I therefore advance an alternative account of the reasonableness of power in democratic societies; one which acknowledges both the characteristically unlimited scope of public discussion in democratic society and the fact that such discussion rarely or perhaps even never ends in a general consensus. In order to elucidate the democratic character of society we must explain the relationship between discussion and power in such a way that we understand both the need for discussion and the necessity of an autonomous exercise of power.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 97,042

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

Can Civic Friendship Ground Public Reason?Paul Billingham & Anthony Taylor - 2023 - Philosophical Quarterly 74 (1):24-45.
Tajna polityka – próba uzasadnienia.Dorota Mokrosińska - 2020 - Civitas. Studia Z Filozofii Polityki 20:141-160.
Deliberative Democracy.Thomas Christiano & Sameer Bajaj - 2016 - In Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen, Kimberley Brownlee & David Coady (eds.), A Companion to Applied Philosophy. Malden, MA: Wiley. pp. 383–396.
Kwasi Wiredu’s consensual democracy: Prospects for practice in Africa.Martin Odei Ajei - 2016 - European Journal of Political Theory 15 (4):445-466.
Can deliberation neutralise power?Samuel Bagg - 2018 - European Journal of Political Theory 17 (3):257-279.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
88 (#200,015)

6 months
10 (#616,985)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Tim Heysse
KU Leuven

Citations of this work

Power, norms and theory. A meta-political inquiry.Tim Heysse - 2017 - Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 20 (2):163-185.
Power and normativity: Rainer Forst on noumenal power.Tim Heyssse - 2024 - Philosophy and Social Criticism 50 (8):1175-1193.

Add more citations