Kant's criticism of democracy has been traditionally defused with the consideration that Kant's aversion is not to democracy per se, but to direct democracy. However, what Kant says - 'to prevent the republican constitution from being confused with the democratic one, as commonly happens' (ZeF, 8: 351) - appears to count not only against direct democracy, but also against conceptions of democracy closer to the ones we are accustomed to. By offering a new account of what Kant sees as the real problem of democracy (direct or not), the article unpacks a lesson about the limits of democracy that has gone largely unnoticed among political theorists and Kant specialists.
Why does Kant Think that Democracy is Necessarily Despotic?
Caranti, L
2023-01-01
Abstract
Kant's criticism of democracy has been traditionally defused with the consideration that Kant's aversion is not to democracy per se, but to direct democracy. However, what Kant says - 'to prevent the republican constitution from being confused with the democratic one, as commonly happens' (ZeF, 8: 351) - appears to count not only against direct democracy, but also against conceptions of democracy closer to the ones we are accustomed to. By offering a new account of what Kant sees as the real problem of democracy (direct or not), the article unpacks a lesson about the limits of democracy that has gone largely unnoticed among political theorists and Kant specialists.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.