Eric Weil and the limits of democracy in a word of tensions

Abstract

This article approaches democracy from the theoretical contributions of Eric Weil, especially in his writings “Limits of Democracy” and “Democracy in a World of Tensions”. Weil criticizes definitions of the term and seeks to establish the general conditions for a truly democratic political system. The article is structured in three parts. First, it discusses the current panorama of perceptions of democratic crises. Next, it deals with the conditions for participation in democratic processes, adopting the Weilian conception of democracy as an “evolving system of free discussion”. Finally, the text turns to the inconsistencies of the discourses that, within a democratic context, defend an authoritarian state. This problem will be analyzed in the light of Karl Popper’s “paradox of tolerance”, and with the support of Robert Dahl’s arguments.