Democracy, Real and Ideal

Ricardo Blaug is Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of Leeds.

"The author breaks new ground with this original and penetrating discussion of practical issues raised by theories of discourse ethics and discursive democracy. Blaug displays an impressive mastery of the secondary literature in English, and is admirably persistent in pursuing the issues raised." — William Outhwaite, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom"Ricardo Blaug has written an important study that forges a link between the abstract and normative conceptions of 'democracy' and a more concrete sense of political participation or what might be called 'strong citizenship.' Given that the latter is rather weak on the ground everywhere, and perhaps most of all where routine claims are made for it, I see Blaug's as a significant challenge."One of the most important themes in the book, in my view, concerns the idea of the 'democratic break-out.' Blaug frames the issue in a way that is both provocative and systematic: How to keep the democratic and participatory spirit alive once the newly-energized citizens have come down from the barricades and are faced with the day-to-day tasks of running a society. While Blaug's work is clearly coming out of the Habermasian universe, what distinguishes his work from much in this field is the fact that this energy and those barricades are indeed present." — Bill Martin, author of Politics in the impasse: Explorations in postsecular social theory

• IntroductionPart 1 Theory and PracticeChapter 1The Theory of Discourse EthicsHabermans on justificationDilemmas upon applicationChapter 2 Theory with a Practical IntentThe relation of theory to practiceAristotle's distinction between techn and phronsisPractical intentionsPart 2 From the Ideal to the RealChapter 3The Affirmative Uses of TheoryAs an interpretative tool-Cultural criticismAs an empirical tool-Critical sociological researchAs a test for legitimacy-Democratic political theorySum of affirmative uses of theory and attendant problemsChapter 4Methodological Problems and the Limits to TheoryThe distinction between morality and ethicsInstitutional design as a category mistakeDryzek's attempt to overcome the limitsFormulating the limits to theoryConcerning judgmentPart 3 The Nature of Political JudgmentChapter 5Habermasian Difficulties with JudgmentJustification and applicationCritiques of the Habermasian account of judgmentThe reflective turnChapter 6Discursive Phronsis with a Cognitivist CoreHow do we evaluate fairness?Judgments that preserve fairnessPart 4 Real ParticipationChapter 7Changing the Object Domain of ApplicationDemocracy from the theorist's perspectiveDemocracy from the participant's perspectiveChapter 8Toward a Democratic PoliticsJudgments regarding the redemption of trade-offsMore problems for participantsConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex