Self, identity, and politics in the study of altruism, morality, and social solidarity: The promise of deliberative democracy

Abstract

What form of politics and political engagement is most likely to promote an altruistic orientation, resolve moral conflicts, and facilitate social solidarity in modern society? Durkheim believed that the answer to this question is to be found in an elitist form of liberal democracy where a strong and active state functions as an “organ of reflection” in the protection of individual rights and the promotion of a moral individualism. In this chapter I offer an alternative proposal, one that is rooted in the basic principles of deliberative democracy. My argument, in brief, is that Durkheim did not appreciate the fact that an effective democratic framework must be grounded in the basic principles of human symbolic interaction. While he may have understood the limitations of a structurally induced individualism, he did not anticipate the growing emphasis on self-reflexivity and the emergence of identity politics. As a consequence, he underestimated the need for a more radical form of democracy based on dialogue and deliberation in the public sphere.