Beyond epistemology and freedom: A deliberative democratic model to promote popular participation

Abstract

In this article we thoroughly analyse one of the major problems related to current democracies, the balance between epistemic benefits and individual freedom. We dive into this debate departing form the various criticisms historically made against democracy and presenting deliberative democracy as an alternative.

This article thoroughly analyzes one of the major problems of current democracies, the balance between epistemic benefits and individual freedom. We dive into this debate departing from the various criticisms that have been historically made against democracy and presenting deliberative democracy as an alternative. Within the long deliberative democratic debate, several authors such as Christiano Mansbridge or Hélène Landemore have proposed views that fail to meet the logical and participatory standards expected from a democratic system. We carry out an analysis on these proposals reflecting on their weak points and consequences. In addition, we link these views to the discussion about the role citizens should play in any democratic system. It is concluded that the most common view held about democracy, the epistemic centred one, overlooks basic rights inherent to any individual and undermines the ability of a population to jointly thrive and develop its culture. This is the reason why we propose a flexible model where any group of citizens has substantial equality of opportunities to propose alternatives to the current norms and laws and convince the majority of the population to change them. This model has been mainly focused on the interactions between individuals and state institutions.