Original scientific paper
Liberalism and Democracy. Relationship Between Fundamental Modern Values and Tradition
Werner Becker
; University Justus Liebig, Giessen, Germany
Abstract
The author examines liberal democracy in relation to the European tradition from whence it sprung and enumerates the biggest differences between the historical forms of democracy and its modern guise. According to the author, the authentic enemies of modern liberal democracy are fascism and bolshevizm. He summarizes his analyses into three points. The first is: in western countries the principles of democracy have mostly been realized in the course of a long genesis following the conflict with monarchist absolutism and more recently, with fascism. The second is: in the philosophy of modern day politics, mostly formal and quantitative aspects of democratic processes have been analysed, which is the biggest shortcoming of these theories. That is why the author proposes an analysis of meaninful aspects of liberal democracy. The third point focuses on the analysis of freedom and democracy as forms of the organization of political life of major human groups charateristic for the industrial age and modern capitalism. At the end of his study, the author puts some light on the relationship between liberalism and democracy by describing the hermeneutical functions of morality in the modern age. The political culture and moral consciousness represent the base for for the functioning of mediatory democracy. The hermeneutical nature of moral consciousness allows modern democracy to develop a practical relatinship with its tradition without which it cannot function as has been the case with those states in which democracy is being introduced today.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
110805
URI
Publication date:
1.2.1995.
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