Democracy Today.indb - Universidade do Minho

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DEMOCRACY TODAY
As to the traditional liberal-democratic model, it is not easy to give
a full definition for it since it draws too a long line, but it may be useful
to keep in mind John Stuart Mill’s theory. As Cunningham says in his
textbook-like Theories of Democracy, in On Liberty and Considerations
on Representative Government, “John Stuart Mill set out what is often
considered the first systematic explication and defense of liberal democracy.”
(Cunningham 2002, 27) This model puts emphasis on individuals’
rights and freedom – though Mill himself is not fond of an “abstract”
idea of right. For this model the guiding principle could be found in
Mill’s words: “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully
exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will,
is to prevent harm to others.” (Mill 1997, 48) Under this principle, there
is the conventional distinction between public and private spheres.
Citizen participation is valued more for its moral and pedagogical
results than as a distinct way of ruling. (See, i.e. Mill 1961 418-420)
Moreover, since direct participation on a large scale is not feasible,
representative government is the ideal type.
Generally speaking, traditional liberal theory is centered upon
the protection of individual freedom and rights and largely considers
politics as a means to realize these ends. Against this backdrop,
Tocqueville’s theory distinguished itself as a special way to philosophically
consider the “political” condition of human freedom. In
the following, I will first discuss the notion of freedom in Tocqueville,
which is remarkably different from the classical notion of it. Secondly,
to further clarify this specific notion of freedom, the constitutive role of
power in politics in Tocqueville’s theory will be talked about. Thirdly,
as a way of “contemporizing” Tocqueville, I will give an overview of
Tocqueville’s influence on Lefort’s theory of democracy. The conclusive
note I want to strike is: the freedom Tocqueville wants to realize is a
political freedom which does not rely on a discourse of private and
individual rights.
Freedom in Tocqueville
Tocqueville’s notion of freedom informs an important deviation
from the traditional liberal-democratic model in conceiving political