Homo Democraticus: On the Universal Desirability and the Not So Universal Possibility of Democracy and Human RightsCambridge Scholars Press, 2003 - 555 The subject of the book - the universal value of human rights and democracy - is highly topical in view of the â oedemocratic imperialismâ of the current US-government. While leaving aside the problem of the acceptability of war as a means to promote democracy (e.g. the second Gulf War), the book focusses on a philosophical, moral and pragmatical defence of the universal application of democracy and human rights. Only if this defence is successful can the discussion on the means and tactics of democratic imperialism begin. The originality of the book is its defence of the universal value of both democracy and human rights. Whereas the defence of the universality of human rights has a long tradition, there is as yet almost no literature on the universal desirability of democracy. The defence is partly philosophical, ethical, political, legal and practical. It draws on the history of philosophy and ethics, as well as on political science. The book is directed at a general public interested in geo-politics and in the state of democracy back home. Politicians, lawyers, journalists and students may find it interesting. As it discusses important parts of the history of political philosophy, it can also be used as a textbook for university students in philosophy or politics. |
Spis treści
The Antidemocrats Paradox | 2 |
AntiFoundationalism 4 Why do Some People Reject Democracy andor Human | 10 |
Are Not Possible Yet | 17 |
A Provisional Definition | 23 |
Freedom Rights Protect Public Life | 30 |
Public and Private | 39 |
The Protection of Public Life 18 Free Speech Freedom of Association and Freedom | 46 |
The Rule of Law Difference Identity and Criticism | 57 |
Consensus or Weltethos | 243 |
An Intercultural Dialogue | 244 |
Economic Development | 248 |
The Choice Between Hunger and Oppression | 255 |
The Link Between Identity and the Economy | 261 |
AHierarchyofRights? | 267 |
Insufficient Conditions | 273 |
Enforcement Resources and the Long Term 125 The Right to Property and the Right to the Property | 279 |
Security | 65 |
Limiting and Separating the State and the Church 29 Different SubCommunities With Different Identities Living | 74 |
The Private Space | 82 |
Equal Rights NonDiscrimination and Justice | 90 |
Human Rights Added to Given to or Given by the State | 97 |
Political Life Version 1 The Link Between | 103 |
The Right to Democracy and Political Rights | 109 |
Democracy and the Rule of Law | 116 |
Attentiveness Involvement and Knowledge | 123 |
The Construction of Communities | 129 |
State and Politics | 135 |
Other Considerations | 144 |
Advantages of Direct Democracy Democracy as a Goal | 150 |
Disadvantages of Direct Democracy 2 Scale and the | 156 |
Disadvantages of Direct Democracy 5 Apathy and | 165 |
Participation as a Goal in Itself | 172 |
The Right to Belong to Humanity | 178 |
The Exception of Political Rights | 184 |
Humanity and the People | 190 |
ACultural Rights | 196 |
Who Criticizes Rights and Democracy? | 199 |
Is the Identity a Goal or a Means? | 200 |
Identity is both a Myth and a Problem | 202 |
Contradictions in the Ideology of Culture and Identity | 203 |
The Right of States and Individuals to Criticize | 205 |
The Only and Almighty Authority of Culture | 206 |
Cultural Relativism and NeoColonialism | 207 |
Western Rights 88 The Radical Rejection of Democracy and the IDidItMy | 208 |
Way Syndrome | 211 |
Rights Limited to the West are Only SemiRights | 213 |
Origin and Effect | 215 |
Real Diversity 91 Popular or Truly Cultural Rejection of Human Rights and 216 the Limits of Identity | 216 |
The Relativity of Relativism | 217 |
Changing Cultures | 220 |
Tolerating Intolerance? 2 | 223 |
Culture and the Individual | 224 |
Universalizing Human Rights is not the Same Thing as Universalizing Individualism | 226 |
Rights and Community | 228 |
Collective Rights | 233 |
The Right to a State and the Right to Identity | 234 |
Dangerous Rights | 236 |
Special Minority Rights | 239 |
Real and Normative Universality | 241 |
PeaceBetween States | 288 |
Other Ways in Which Rights | 295 |
The Paradox of Democracy | 301 |
Peace Inside a State | 307 |
National Unity 137 Democracy is Impossible and Necessary at the Same Time | 313 |
PacificationDemocracy | 319 |
Equality | 323 |
The Value of Equality | 324 |
The Epistemological Advantages of Democracy 142 Democracy is Not Necessarily Relativistic Nihilistic or | 327 |
Amoral | 329 |
Truth vs Opinion | 331 |
A Good Content and a Good Procedure | 334 |
The Possibility of Contestation | 336 |
Procedures are Not Enough | 338 |
Some Problems With Equality | 340 |
Unequal Value | 342 |
The Combination of Equal and Unequal Value | 343 |
A Problem of Definition | 345 |
Equality Before the Law vs Material Equality | 348 |
Equality of Outcome vs Equality of Procedures | 349 |
Political Equality vs Material Equality | 351 |
Efficiency the Ability to Take Decisions and the Quest for Consensus | 355 |
Consensus | 358 |
Dangerous Truth The Truth Threatens Politics | 359 |
Reasonableness Instead of Truth 158 Democracy is Impossible and Necessary at the Same Time | 363 |
2 Unity of Vision | 370 |
Creating Consensus | 373 |
Efficiency the Ability to Take Decisions | 378 |
Vote Buying 164 General Interest and SelfInterest and the Dangers of Both | 384 |
Big Government | 391 |
Transnational Democracy | 397 |
Some Problems With Autonomy | 408 |
Autonomy and the Economy | 414 |
An AntiDemocratic Definition of Freedom? | 420 |
Freedom and the State Anarchism and Liberalism | 428 |
Limited Freedom is AntiSocial 177 Our Freedom is Limited by the Harm We Can Inflict | 439 |
The Choice Between Freedom and the Dictator | 446 |
Power Struggle and Struggle in General | 452 |
The Balance Between Political Rights and Freedom Rights | 459 |
Bibliography | 512 |
| 521 | |
Kluczowe wyrazy i wyrażenia
able accept accordance actions activity allowed apply argument autonomy avoid become believe better cause certain choice choose citizens claim consequence considered countries course create culture decide decisions definition democracy and human democratic difficult direct discussion duties economic rights election enforce equal example existence expression fact force freedom give groups guarantee hand harm human rights identity implies important impossible independent individual institutions interests justify kind knowledge lead least less limited lives majority matter means minority natural necessary never norms opinions participation parties peace person political possible present problem procedures promote protect question reason religion representatives requires respect result rights and democracy rule rule of law sense separation social society space struggle things tion tolerance true truth universal values violations vote