Chantal Mouffe

The Democratic Paradox

The Democratic Paradox is Chantal Mouffe's most accessible and illuminating study of democracy's sharp edges, fractures, and incongruities. Orienting her discussion within the debates over modern liberal democracy, Mouffe takes aim at John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, and the consensus building of 'third way' politics to show how their conceptions of democracy fall victim to paralyzing contradictions. Against this background, Mouffe develops a rich conception of 'agonistic pluralism' that draws on Wittgenstein, Derrida, and the provocative theses of Carl Schmitt, attempting to reclaim the antagonism and conflict of radical democracy as its most vital, abiding feature.

Donald

This book presents a branch of political theory I had never been exposed to before, and it is well argued and written. The central premise of Mouffe's position (via Schmidtt) is that there is a fundamental conflict between liberalism and democracy; in fact, liberal democracy is constituted and defined by this conflict. Consensus is impossible. Unlike Schmidtt, she does not take this to mean that liberal democracy is going to fail.

I agree with a lot of Mouffe's descriptions of the modern State, but I think her proposed solutions and strategies are stupid (Negriist alternative globalization, really?!?). Still, it was interesting to read someone defending liberal democracy in a fairly honest and inventive way.

The Democratic Paradox

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