Believing power dissolves through rational debate endangers democratic institutions

Evidence

We have to accept that every consensus exists as a temporary result of a provisional hegemony, as a stabilization of power, and that it always entails some form of exclusion. The ideas that power could be dissolved through a rational debate and that legitimacy could be based on pure rationality are illusions which can endanger democratic institutions. — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 467

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Blocking democratic closure requires abandoning the ideal of stable consensus grounded in justice — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 357; Democratic politics should constitute democratic power, not eliminate it — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 451; Democratic politics should mobilize passions, not eliminate them for rational consensus — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 462 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Mistrust is democratic, delegitimation assaults democracy #expands (0.87) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 86
• Democracy is endangered by assuming all human action is rational #expands (0.86)
• Delegitimizing parties and knowledge institutions blocks democracy’s core functions #expands (0.83) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 276
• Convincing arguments fail when reform lacks power behind it #complicates (0.82) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 375
• Rejecting consensus as impossible protects democracy from closure #complicates (0.74) — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 146