LIBERALISM AND REPUBLICANISM: TWO UNDEMOCRATIC AND UNPOLITICAL IDEOLOGICAL OPTIONS

The author's starting assumption is the domination of two undemocratic ideological orientations: liberalism and republicanism. The author sees republicanism and liberalism as the ideas proximate to the political or the democratic. These ideas operate semantically but cannot be identified with the political or the democratic. This is not possible as they are not commensurable structures. By providing a theoretical account of various historical traditions the author shows that European republicanism ignored democracy and considered it to be the worst form of government. This is partly true of the liberal political doctrine that evolved later. The author argues it is possible to convert republicanism to democratic pluralism i.e. that this is the biggest common good today. In this way republicanism may be spared its controversies.