Irvinga Kristola krytyka demokracji

• Authors: Wojciech Brzozowski
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The article discusses selected aspects and values of democracy in the views of one of the most prominent American neoconservative thinkers, Irving Kristol, often referred to as ‘the godfather of neoconservatism’. It starts with a diagnosis of liberal democracy in times of its crisis. According to Kristol, the condition of American society threatens the future of the culture based on Western civic-bourgeois values. Every moral authority is nowadays being put into question. This constitutes a great danger as no society can totally reject wisdom based on the experience of past generations. Moreover, no society can survive without religion, which supplies answers to the most fundamental questions. In this respect, Kristol argues that a liberal form of censorship favouring Christian morality should be established. In general, the problems of contemporary democracy should be dealt with by applying the ideas of the Founding Fathers. Inspirations can be found in the American Revolution, which was ‘a revolution of sober expectations’, as Martin Diamond called it, contrary to the present habits of mind described by Kristol as ‘the revolution of rising expectations’. Thus, America can only be healed by restoring the republican spirit, which has been overwhelmed by the ‘democratic ideology’ justifying all the desires and demands of man. Such a prescription, however, makes the author of the article raise several questions.

Keywords

PL

Kristol,; neokonserwatyzm,; liberalizm,; demokracja,; Ameryka

• Publisher: Instytut Nauk Politycznych Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
• Journal: Studia Politologiczne
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 13
• Pages: 142-162

Contributors

author

Wojciech Brzozowski