Democracy Beyond Rational Consensus: Chantal Mouffe's Plural, Radical, and Agonistic Proposal

• Grant number: 25/17500-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - Ethics
• Principal Investigator: Hélio Alexandre da Silva
• Grantee: Maria Laura Silva Cruz
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais (FCHS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Franca. Franca , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research aims to analyze, based on The Democratic Paradox (2000) by philosopher and political scientist Chantal Mouffe, the limits of deliberative theories of rationalist orientation that stand out in contemporary political theory, as well as to examine the author's theoretical alternative in the face of the dilemmas of liberal democracy. It is therefore guided by the following question: "How does Chantal Mouffe construct her critique of models of democracy grounded in rational consensus, and what are the possible theoretical contributions of her agonistic proposal in The Democratic Paradox?" To this end, the research will be structured in three stages: the first will address Mouffe's critique of the deliberative democratic theories of Rawls and Habermas; the second will analyze Mouffe's interpretation of Wittgenstein, with particular attention to the notions of "passionate commitment" and "agreement in forms of life"; finally, the third stage will discuss Mouffe's defense of a plural, radical, and agonistic model of democracy. (AU)