THE APOLITICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT: CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC POLITICS BEYOND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL CONTRACT
ABSTRACT This article provides a criticism of the apolitical starting point of social contract theories through the analysis of Rawls's original position and Habermas's idea of complex society, arguing that such depoliticized starting point leads to the refusal of the centrality of social...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
2017-04-01
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| Series: | Kriterion |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-512X2017000100101&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1819005762727313408 |
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| author | Leno Danner |
| author_facet | Leno Danner |
| author_sort | Leno Danner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT This article provides a criticism of the apolitical starting point of social contract theories through the analysis of Rawls's original position and Habermas's idea of complex society, arguing that such depoliticized starting point leads to the refusal of the centrality of social struggles between classes as the basis of streamlining social evolution and institutional constitution. In order to achieve political agreement, it erases and even eliminates the struggles between social classes, the status quo and the social-political differences between social groups as the core of societal and institutional configuration. Moreover, it leads to strong institutionalism-the centrality of the formal spheres and subjects (institutions, their proceduralism and legal staff, as political parties and courts) in relation to informal spheres and subjects (civil society, social movements and citizen initiatives). Therefore, the political consequences of a depoliticized or apolitical starting point are threefold: (a) the depoliticization of social struggles between opposed social classes, (b) the strong institutionalism by the emphasis in the depoliticized institutions and in the rule of law, and (c) the weakening of a democratic political praxis performed by social movements and citizen initiatives from a direct contraposition and even substitution of the institutions, their proceduralism and legal staff with the spontaneous politicalcultural praxis of these social movements and citizen initiatives. The great problem and challenge of contemporary democratic societies, namely the correlation between strong institutionalism, political parties and economic oligarchies, cannot be resolved from the juridical-political procedural paradigm's emphasis on institutionalism and the rule of law, but only by a reaffirmation of political praxis as the fundamental core of institutional and societal constitution, legitimation and evolution, which implies that democratic politics must be conceived of as a permanent struggle against strong institutionalism by the political subjects of civil society. Here a permanent and radical politicization of the informal public spheres and subjects is required. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T23:57:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a2acea6a49894c5cbe5da3690766268c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0100-512X |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T23:57:57Z |
| publishDate | 2017-04-01 |
| publisher | Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Kriterion |
| spelling | doaj.art-a2acea6a49894c5cbe5da3690766268c2022-12-21T19:22:41ZdeuUniversidade Federal de Minas GeraisKriterion0100-512X2017-04-015813610112310.1590/0100-512x2017n13606ldTHE APOLITICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT: CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC POLITICS BEYOND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL CONTRACTLeno DannerABSTRACT This article provides a criticism of the apolitical starting point of social contract theories through the analysis of Rawls's original position and Habermas's idea of complex society, arguing that such depoliticized starting point leads to the refusal of the centrality of social struggles between classes as the basis of streamlining social evolution and institutional constitution. In order to achieve political agreement, it erases and even eliminates the struggles between social classes, the status quo and the social-political differences between social groups as the core of societal and institutional configuration. Moreover, it leads to strong institutionalism-the centrality of the formal spheres and subjects (institutions, their proceduralism and legal staff, as political parties and courts) in relation to informal spheres and subjects (civil society, social movements and citizen initiatives). Therefore, the political consequences of a depoliticized or apolitical starting point are threefold: (a) the depoliticization of social struggles between opposed social classes, (b) the strong institutionalism by the emphasis in the depoliticized institutions and in the rule of law, and (c) the weakening of a democratic political praxis performed by social movements and citizen initiatives from a direct contraposition and even substitution of the institutions, their proceduralism and legal staff with the spontaneous politicalcultural praxis of these social movements and citizen initiatives. The great problem and challenge of contemporary democratic societies, namely the correlation between strong institutionalism, political parties and economic oligarchies, cannot be resolved from the juridical-political procedural paradigm's emphasis on institutionalism and the rule of law, but only by a reaffirmation of political praxis as the fundamental core of institutional and societal constitution, legitimation and evolution, which implies that democratic politics must be conceived of as a permanent struggle against strong institutionalism by the political subjects of civil society. Here a permanent and radical politicization of the informal public spheres and subjects is required.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-512X2017000100101&tlng=enProceduralismSocial ContractDemocratic PoliticsStrong InstitutionalismDemocratic Radicalism |
| spellingShingle | Leno Danner THE APOLITICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT: CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC POLITICS BEYOND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL CONTRACT Kriterion Proceduralism Social Contract Democratic Politics Strong Institutionalism Democratic Radicalism |
| title | THE APOLITICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT: CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC POLITICS BEYOND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL CONTRACT |
| title_full | THE APOLITICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT: CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC POLITICS BEYOND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL CONTRACT |
| title_fullStr | THE APOLITICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT: CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC POLITICS BEYOND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL CONTRACT |
| title_full_unstemmed | THE APOLITICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT: CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC POLITICS BEYOND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL CONTRACT |
| title_short | THE APOLITICAL SOCIAL CONTRACT: CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRATIC POLITICS BEYOND DEPOLITICIZED SOCIAL CONTRACT |
| title_sort | apolitical social contract contemporary democratic politics beyond depoliticized social contract |
| topic | Proceduralism Social Contract Democratic Politics Strong Institutionalism Democratic Radicalism |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-512X2017000100101&tlng=en |
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