marketplace or public arena? truth and policymaking in democracy

Abstract

The lecture looks at the problem of democratic legitimacy. It concentrates on the eroding reliability of contemporary, democratic policymaking, which is involved in a conflict between two different formulas of legitimacy – the logic of self-regulation, originating in the notion of the market and the idea of public judgment, and the logic of public debate. It begins by posing the following question: is democratic policymaking based on reliable ‘truths’ that can ensure a sense of purpose and security, or is it involved in a drama of contingent, petty manoeuvring? However, the focus of this lecture is not on day-to-day practical matters. It is intended to embrace the cultural and philosophical premises of current political dilemmas. Political matters are connected to more fundamental questions, referring to the predicament of late modernity.