Rationalist-universalists hold political theory can establish one universally valid good regime

Evidence

It is clear that what is at stake in this debate is the very nature of political theory. Two different positions confront each other. On one side we find the ‘rationalist-universalists’ who - like Ronald Dworkin, the early Rawls and Habcrmas - assert that the aim of political theory is to establish universal truths, valid for all independently of the historico-culrural context. Of course, for them, there can only be one answer to the enquiry about the ‘good regime’, and many of their efforts consist in proving that constirutional democracy is the regime that fulfils those requirements. — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 289

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the rationalist-universalist pole Mouffe positions against — foundational to her pluralist argument.
• XREF: connects to: Aristotle’s typology hinges each good regime on rule for the common interest — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 75; The universalist-contextualist dispute concerns liberal democracy’s universal validity — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 284; The incommensurability of universal and particular is the precondition for democracy — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 378 (+13 more)

Broader Connections

• Universal generalization is a totalitarian imposition on the world #contradicts (0.85) — Édouard Glissant, Poetics of Relation, 162
• The ideal of a universal civilization serves Western dominance interests #complicates (0.82) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 176
• Critical Theory seeks the universal within the particular rather than above it #complicates (0.80) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 724
• Agonistic pluralism rejects the ideal of a fully inclusive rational consensus #contradicts (0.80) — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 327
• Ruling blocs present their particular interests as universal ones to secure legitimacy. #complicates (0.79) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 905
• The incommensurability of universal and particular is the precondition for democracy #complicates (0.78) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 378
• Universal and particular are inseparably interdependent in democratic politics #complicates (0.77)
• History’s problem is how one party becomes agent of universality #expands (0.76) — Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, 7653
• Neoconservatism is defined by exceptionalism plus unipolar military preponderance as universal good #exemplifies (0.75)
• Theoretical universalizations can recuperate difference into old Enlightenment universalist frameworks #complicates (0.74) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 409
• Modern rationalism combined critical method with quietism toward institutions #responds-to (0.73) — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 139
• Republicanism’s elite origins can be repurposed as a universal ideal #exemplifies (0.72) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 69
• Universalizing equality made freedom-as-non-domination seem unrealistic #complicates (0.72) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 263
• Consistent social theory requires an object with the potential for rational realization #qualifies (0.70)