Abstract
Collective “memories” of the original democracy of classical Athens have inspired the formation of the direct-democracy, “Syntagma Square” movement. The movement, a reaction to the ongoing social crisis in Greece, challenges the legitimacy of the liberal, representative, democracy accusing the “memorandum party system” for immoral contact and treasonous collaboration with Greece’s foreign debtors. Taking this development as an opportunity to examine in situ a modern version of “direct democracy” and the cognitive patterns that animate it, the essay compares ancient and current democratic processes and reflects on their ontological and cosmological presuppositions. Employing the Weberian concept of “acosmistic brotherhood” the essay analytically explores and compares the two democratic instances and reflects on the foundations of a stable democratic regime.
Highlights
The ongoing economic crisis that erupted in Greece in 2009, and that by 2011 had turned into a legitimation crisis of the political system, gave rise to the “Syntagma Square” movement, known as the “Greek indignados” (Οι αγανακτισμένοι); a movement that challenged parliamentary-representative democracy, promulgating, at the same time, a return to “direct democracy” which they traced back to classical Athens and the celebrated rule of the people
The presence of this social movement, notwithstanding its short-lived existence gave us the opportunity to examine two interrelated issues: has the ancient direct democracy, as an institution and practice, anything to do with its modern proponents? And if so, what can we learn about us moderns from such comparison?
It would be safe to suggest that the classical Athenian regime was a combination of (“low”) direct and (“high”) representative democracy with its most important concern being the legitimation of the decision making process as reflecting the sincere and unmediated “people’s will”
Summary
The ongoing economic crisis that erupted in Greece in 2009, and that by 2011 had turned into a legitimation crisis of the political system, gave rise to the “Syntagma Square” movement, known as the “Greek indignados” (Οι αγανακτισμένοι); a movement that challenged parliamentary-representative democracy, promulgating, at the same time, a return to “direct democracy” which they traced back to classical Athens and the celebrated rule of the people.
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