Democratic Theory as Public Philosophy: The Alternative to Ideology and Utopia

Abstract

Part 1 Democratic theory as ideology and utopia: formalism in democratic theory - democracy as political procedures formalism in democratic theory - democracy as integrated elites formalism in democratic theory - Robert Dahl and democracy as political and social pluralism utopianism and the utopian challenge to democratic theory. Part 2 Democratic theory as public philosophy: Walter Lippman's call for and contribution to a public philosophy democratic theory as public philosophy - its 19th-century foundations the last of the new liberals, and analytic-philosophic public philosophers 20th-century natural-law, Augustinian-Realist and democratic-elite theory public philosophers. Part 3 Functions of democratic theory as public philosophy does history end with liberal democracy and, if so, what type? democratic theory as public philosophy - problems and prospects.