Normative Political Theory and Democracy
Is democracy desirable? Is it legitimate? If so, why? And what makes a political system democratic in the first place? These are some of the questions we might ask when we deal with democratic laws or policies with which we disagree or when we wonder whether or to what extent our own regimes are indeed democratic.
The purpose of this course is to explore the concept of democracy, its various definitions and justifications. With this aim in mind, the course is structured as follows. We will first address the method of normative political theory. Secondly, we will analyse different conceptions of democracy, starting with a historical overlook and then focusing on the contemporary well-known divide between aggregative and deliberative democracy. Third, we will explore some accounts of deliberative democracy, identify the justifications they put forward and distinguish between so-called instrumental and procedural approaches. Fundamental authors in normative political theory will be addressed in readings and discussed in class. When possible, theoretical distinctions will be applied to existing democratic institutions through historical and current examples. The hope is that students will acquire the critical toolkit and sensitivity that are required not only to analyse existing countries’ democratic institutions but also to understand and critically assess their desirability.
- Summarize, compare and critically assess various accounts of democracy
- Appreciate the distinction between deliberative and aggregative accounts of democracy and apply these definitions to democratic institutions
- Critically assess different accounts of democratic legitimacy and their justifications
Students are expected to attend class and to actively participate in the discussion. Questions are always welcome. Each class will have a required number of readings to do beforehand. For each new session (except for the first session), and at least six days in advance, I will share some questions on the readings that students are invited to answer in order to assess their comprehension of the text. Students are expected to hand in their answers twice during the course and these answers will be part of students’ final evaluation. They can do so by sending an e-mail to the teacher 24 hours before the following class, at the latest. Each student will take part in at least one group presentation on recommended readings and is expected to discuss fellow students’ presentations.
Classes will be organised as follows: the first half hour will be dedicated to questions from the previous session as well as to introduce the topic of the day; the following hour and a half will be devoted to group presentations and discussion. At the end of the course, a brief essay (between 2000 and 2500 words) on one of the course topics will be handed in. Students are encouraged to prepare a first draft during the course and to discuss it with the teacher before handing in the final version. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Formative assessment:
- Active participation and involvement
- Answers to teacher’s questions
- Group presentation and discussion
- Final essay first draft
Summative assessment:
- Final Essay
- Active participation and involvement: 10%
- Answers to teacher’s questions: 20%
- Group presentation: 30%
- Final essay: 40%
- Mandatory readings:
- Rawls, J. (2001). Four Roles of Political Philosophy. In Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (pp. 1–5). Harvard University Press.
- Korsgaard, C. (1996). The Normative Question. In The Sources of Normativity (pp. 7–21). Cambridge University Press.
- Recommended readings:
- Arendt, H. (1996). Philosophy and Politics. Social Research, 57(1), 73–103.
- Berlin, I. (1978). Does Political Theory Still Exist? In Concepts and Categories: Philosophical Essays (Vol. 2, pp. 143–172). Hogarth Press.
- Aristotle. Politics (Book 1, part 1; Book3, parts 1-13; Book 4: parts 1-5, 7-9, 11, 14-16).
- Rousseau, J.J. Contrat social (Book 1, chaptes 1-8; Book2; Book 3, Chapters 1-8, 10-11, 15, 17-18; Book 4, chapters 1-3).
- Mill, J.S. On Liberty, selected readings.
- Riker, W. (1987). Liberalism Against Populism (chapter 1, chapter 10). Waveland Pr
- Cohen, J. (1986). An Epistemic Conception of Democracy. Ethics, 97(1), 26–38.
- Benhabib, S. (1994). Deliberative Rationality and Models of Democratic Legitimacy. Constellations, 1(1), 26–52.
- Cohen, J. (1997). Procedure and Substance in Deliberative Democracy. In J. Bohman & W. Rehg (Eds.), Deliberative Democracy: Essays on Reason and Politics. MIT Press.
- Rawls, J. (1997). The Idea of Public Reason Revisited. The University of Chicago Law Review, 64(3), 765-807.
- Landemore, H. (2012). Democratic Reason: The Mechanisms of Collective Intelligence in Politics. In H. Landemore & J. Elster (Eds.), Collective Wisdom: Principles and Mechanisms (pp. 251–289). Cambridge University Press.
- Talisse, R. (2010). An Epistemological Defense of Democracy. Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society, 22(2–3), 281–291.
- Lafont, C. (2020). Democracy Without Shortcuts (chapter 1, chapter 7). Oxford University Press.
- Griffin, C. (2003). Democracy as a Non-Instrumentally Just Procedure. Journal of Political Philosophy, 11(1), 111–121.
- Arneson, R. (2003). Debate: Defending the Purely Instrumental Account of Democratic Legitimacy. Journal of Political Philosophy, 11(1), 122–132.
- Christiano, T. (2004). The Authority of Democracy. Journal of Political Philosophy, 12(3), 245–270.
- Brennan, J. (2017). Against Democracy. Princeton University Press, selected readings.
- Films: Twelve Angry Men, The Trial of the Chicago 7
- TV series: West Wing, Yes Minister