Rousseau e a radicalidade democrática

um debate com a interpretação de Kevin Inston

Abstract

Rousseau's association to the philosophical sources of democracy is not free of discussion. The author himself preferred the qualification of “republican” instead of “democrat”, and in the Social Contract he pointed out serious difficulties for the existence of democracy as a form of government, even though his theses on popular sovereignty reverberate principles typically linked to democratic constitutions. In view of this, Kevin Inston questioned that contemporary radical democrats have neglected the contribution of the Genevan philosopher, and for this reason he sought to show how much it remains relevant to face the political challenges of our times. However, to what extent are Inston’s efforts to reconcile Rousseau's political theory with contemporary democracy sustainable? Has not the commentator underestimated or ignored crucial elements that make such convergence problematic? The purpose of this paper is to try to provide some answers to such questions.