Democracy Today.indb - Universidade do Minho

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friends form the whole human species for him; as for dwelling with his
fellow citizens, he is beside them, but he does not see them; he touches
them and does not feel them; he exists only in himself and for himself
alone, and if a family still remains for him, one can at least say that he no
longer has a native country. […] Above these an immense tutelary power
is elevated, which alone takes charge of assuring their enjoyments and
watching over their fate. It is absolute, detailed, regular, far-seeing, and
mild. It would resemble paternal power if, like that, it had for its object
to prepare men for manhood; but on the contrary, it seeks only to keep
them fixed irrevocably in childhood; it likes citizens to enjoy themselves
provided that they think only of enjoying themselves. It willingly works
for their happiness; but it wants to be the unique agent and sole arbiter
of that; it provides for their security, foresees and secures their needs,
facilitates their pleasures, conducts their principal affairs, directs their
industry, regulates their estates, divides their inheritances; can it not take
away from them entirely the trouble of thinking and the pain of living?
(2000, 663)
DEMOCRACY TODAY
In Tocqueville’s theory, the power of “the people” is constitutive
of Democratic society as such. Tocqueville calls it “the political laws”
or “law of laws” in Democracy. (Tocqueville 2000, 53, 54) “It was no
longer permissible to struggle against it.” (Tocqueville 2000, 54) The
challenge, then, is to tame it or bring it in check; or to be more precise,
to constrain any power that tries to speak in the name of the people.
For this reason, Tocqueville brings the conflict and struggles of different
power in society to light: the desire for equality is checked by the
taste for freedom; the tendency for centralization is balanced by the
momentum of local self-government; the uniform rule of the state is
diffused by the voluntary associations of the people; and the dominating
power of the majority is tamed by the right of the minority to speak
and act. For there to be freedom, Tocqueville believes, power that has
a claim on the whole society should be counterbalanced.
In this regard, “moderation” seems to be the final word for freedom
in Tocqueville. Power needs to be moderated and be prevented from
being absolute. Under moderation of power, society retains its openness,
where all kinds of possibilities and changes can erupt. And in
this openness, Tocqueville finds the possibility of freedom.