Defining the Advantages of Democracy: Hobbs & Lukashenko vs American Pragmatism

Article

Abstract

[In Russian]

In the opinions of many intellectuals nowadays democracy as
an ideology has become a single source of the political legitimacy.
Even the leaders of contemporary authoritarian governments
(e. g. Belarusian president A. Lukashenko) are forced to demonstrate
their political regimes as genuine democracies. No doubts,
the comprehension of democracy can vary greatly. Accordingly,
this article deals with the descriptions of the advantages of democratic
society and also addresses the understanding of democracy
in the Belarusian context. Analyzing Lukashenko’s statements I
infer that his view on democratic state resembles T. Hobbes’s political
ideas: the main advantages of civil condition are the maintenance
of social order and the strong possibilities for the survival
and the satisfaction of basic needs. This standpoint of the major
goals of the state is contrasted to the ideas of American pragmatism
(J. Dewey, G.H. Mead), according to which the main task of
political regime is to provide the conditions for the fullest development
of human self.