Democracy is endangered by assuming all human action is rational

Evidence

For this perspective the basis of legitimacy of democratic institutions derives from the fact that the instances which claim obligatory power do so on the presumption that their decisions represent an impartial standpoint which is equally in the interests of all. — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 399 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Democratic elections cease to function properly, for example, when the failure to take seriously the interests of underprivileged non-voters leads to a vicious circle, or when the infrastructures of public communication disintegrate to such an extent that numbing resentment gains the upper hand over well-informed public opinions. In short, I do not see deliberative politics as an aloof ideal against which sordid reality must be measured, but as an existential presupposition of any democracy worthy of the name. — Jürgen Habermas, A New Structural Transformation of the…, 54 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Democracy must be deliberately cultivated rather than assumed natural. — Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s…, 16; Neoliberal rationality reduces the very desire for democracy — Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s…, 398; Human fallibility justifies democratic decision-making over imposed certainty — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 379 (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Deliberative democracy grounds legitimacy in presumed impartiality toward all #complicates (0.75) — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 399
• Deliberative politics is constitutive of democracy, not a regulative ideal #complicates (0.72) — Jürgen Habermas, A New Structural Transformation of the…, 54