Democracy in Conceptual Crisis: A Genealogical Study of a Definitional Failure

Abstract

This paper qualitatively examines the conceptual and definitional chaos of the existing popular democracy. The existing model of liberal democracy is assumed to be originated from the ancient Greek political system. Having its meaning and spirit of people’s rule, it has replaced the old autocratic monarchy. The investigation revolves around the basic question, whether modern representative democracy stands true to its real concept, or is the only manifestation of mistranslation of the narrative of ‘people’s rule’.  An in-depth analysis of the fact shows that real democracy has not taken its place; it remains a goal to be achieved, and a dream to be realized. No doubt that some achievements of modern democratic theory and practice have blessed the European, but still the Third World remains in a phase of political chaos. The fact behind the fiction seems to be a failure of definition and addition of misleading concepts about democracy. The confusion is about the clear-cut definition of democracy, that has aggravated the situation to the extent that the concept of general will remains technically impossible to be realized. The present study, employing a qualitative, genealogical-conceptual method traces the contemporary practical crisis of democracy to a documented chain of mistranslations running from the Greek demos-kratos through William of Moerbeke’s Latin democratia to the modern electoral state.