The limits of reality: Pareto and the myth of democracy
The essay deals with the sociological analysis of democracy developed by Pareto in his Transformation of Democracy, particularly regarding the dialectics between residues and derivations, centrifugal and centripetal forces. Pareto dwells on the rise of plutocratic demagogy and socialism within the p...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Rosenberg & Sellier
2021-07-01
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Series: | Quaderni di Sociologia |
Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/qds/4700 |
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author | Andrea Lombardinilo |
author_facet | Andrea Lombardinilo |
author_sort | Andrea Lombardinilo |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The essay deals with the sociological analysis of democracy developed by Pareto in his Transformation of Democracy, particularly regarding the dialectics between residues and derivations, centrifugal and centripetal forces. Pareto dwells on the rise of plutocratic demagogy and socialism within the political scenario of a crumbling central sovereignty. Hence the need to probe his recourse to Vico’s theory of the historical circularity of states and classes which in turn finds its roots in ancient myths and legends. Prior to the advent of totalitarianism, Pareto seems to highlight the power of myth in the construction of collective movements and social actions. As a result, his concept of the transformation of democracy may echo Max Weber’s Science as a Profession (1919) and may have inspired Mannheim’s Ideology and Utopia (1929), where Pareto’s theories are abundantly exploited. Hence follows the purpose of a more detailed examination of Vico’s influence on Pareto’s social theory and to investigate Mannheim’s interpretation of his sociological effort soon after the end of World War II. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-08T01:21:46Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-2ab3bf98d3e4484586dbd0afa93695e5 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 0033-4952 2421-5848 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-08T01:21:46Z |
publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
publisher | Rosenberg & Sellier |
record_format | Article |
series | Quaderni di Sociologia |
spelling | doaj.art-2ab3bf98d3e4484586dbd0afa93695e52024-02-14T14:23:33ZengRosenberg & SellierQuaderni di Sociologia0033-49522421-58482021-07-01866511513110.4000/qds.4700The limits of reality: Pareto and the myth of democracyAndrea LombardiniloThe essay deals with the sociological analysis of democracy developed by Pareto in his Transformation of Democracy, particularly regarding the dialectics between residues and derivations, centrifugal and centripetal forces. Pareto dwells on the rise of plutocratic demagogy and socialism within the political scenario of a crumbling central sovereignty. Hence the need to probe his recourse to Vico’s theory of the historical circularity of states and classes which in turn finds its roots in ancient myths and legends. Prior to the advent of totalitarianism, Pareto seems to highlight the power of myth in the construction of collective movements and social actions. As a result, his concept of the transformation of democracy may echo Max Weber’s Science as a Profession (1919) and may have inspired Mannheim’s Ideology and Utopia (1929), where Pareto’s theories are abundantly exploited. Hence follows the purpose of a more detailed examination of Vico’s influence on Pareto’s social theory and to investigate Mannheim’s interpretation of his sociological effort soon after the end of World War II.https://journals.openedition.org/qds/4700 |
spellingShingle | Andrea Lombardinilo The limits of reality: Pareto and the myth of democracy Quaderni di Sociologia |
title | The limits of reality: Pareto and the myth of democracy |
title_full | The limits of reality: Pareto and the myth of democracy |
title_fullStr | The limits of reality: Pareto and the myth of democracy |
title_full_unstemmed | The limits of reality: Pareto and the myth of democracy |
title_short | The limits of reality: Pareto and the myth of democracy |
title_sort | limits of reality pareto and the myth of democracy |
url | https://journals.openedition.org/qds/4700 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT andrealombardinilo thelimitsofrealityparetoandthemythofdemocracy AT andrealombardinilo limitsofrealityparetoandthemythofdemocracy |