The idea of a democratic ethos: Contribution to a roundtable on Alessandro Ferrara’s The Democratic Horizon: Hyperpluralism and the renewal of political liberalism

In this article I explore the character and importance of a democratic ethos. Ferrara develops such a concept around the idea of ‘openness’ as part of his broader ideal of seeking to foster exemplary expansions of political identity with the goal of better accommodating the ‘hyperpluralism’ polities...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy & social criticism 2016-09, Vol.42 (7), p.657-664
Main Author: White, Stephen K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In this article I explore the character and importance of a democratic ethos. Ferrara develops such a concept around the idea of ‘openness’ as part of his broader ideal of seeking to foster exemplary expansions of political identity with the goal of better accommodating the ‘hyperpluralism’ polities face today. I argue that ‘openness’ has several drawbacks that hinder its possible functioning in such a role, contending rather that ‘presumptive generosity’ is to be preferred. The latter can contribute more effectively than the former to enhancing Ferrara’s notion of exemplarity.
ISSN:0191-4537
1461-734X
DOI:10.1177/0191453715619960