| Abstract |
"Democracy holds a central place in the catalog of keywords for political science and is the 'heart of modern politics' (Saward 2003: VII). It is associated with those aspects of politics that relate to the values, ideas, and norms related to the functioning of society. This scientific area is traditionally complemented by reflection within other disciplines such as law, sociology, history, economics, and philosophy. The study of democracy touches on the fundamental question of the constantly renewing process of creating social order. This order is not given once and for all, on the contrary, it is constantly constructed, and produced by society. Therefore, democracy cannot be thought of as a completed project. It must be treated as a process undergoing dynamic change. Even when the law, including principles, norms, and rules are written down and followed - we have no guarantee that we still live in a democracy and therefore have a significant impact on the world around us. With this fluidity and variability comes a depth of misunderstanding about the very concept of democracy; what it is, and its essence. What is known for sure is that democracy is a powerful and significant force. However, the versatility of the concept of democracy allows it to be used and placed in many diverse contexts. Thus, democracy is becoming a contemporary dispute over its meaning. Paradoxically, today when we speak of democracy we mostly mean pro-democratic rather than anti-democratic theory, both Plato and Aristotle - considered its fathers - openly criticized democracy (Sartori 1987: 157). Although the idea of democracy was indeed born in ancient Greece, and many of its key features are found in the writings of Aristotle or Plato, as a universal commitment it is quite new, and its modern representative variant is in essence a product of the 20th century. While civil rights are currently extended to women, people of color, the indigent, the uneducated, and those without property, this does not mean that they all have the same influence on power. The opposite is true, they don't and never have, because power relations are asymmetrical, grow out of inequality, and mostly maintain inequality. In searching for the essence of modern democracy - as the power of the people - one cannot simply rely on writings of ancient origin, merely superstructuring this concept with more contemporary themes and setting it in the broader context of the nation-state. There is no one true democracy, instead, there are many diverse and distinct conceptions of democracy. Context, place, or time project the democratic potential, resources, and opportunities available to a given society. Both as an ideal and as a reality, democracy therefore faces numerous constraints. These are culturally, socially, and politically based. While it would be easiest to consider that the determination of what democracy is and is meant to be is behind us, in reality, it is impossible to escape the constant need to answer this question - again and again. Democracy is not given once and for all, on the contrary, it evaluates and changes. Conditions change and so does the answer to the question of what democracy can and should mean, how it should be practiced, and how it can and should achieve its goals. Meanwhile, if a democratic formula does not achieve the goals set before it, the question arises of how it can be transformed to serve them. The understanding of democracy at a particular historical time is rooted in the current patterns of political-legal analysis of the democratic order, including the system and regime. In turn, the patterns generally derive from models of democracy that are accepted and practiced. In short, practice flows from theory, and theory is based on practice. This relationship reveals a mutual, two-way dependence. Moreover, democracy is a very popular system in the world, and changes in other parts of the world do not remain confined abroad. Instead, they can spread, shape, and guide practice in other countries. So everything flows (Panta rhei - Gr.) - as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus already stated"--Provided by publisher |
