Transformando a natureza humana: Igualdade e liberdade política em Tocqueville

Abstract

Today, to speak of democracy is natural and instinctive. We are naturally democrats, by birth or heritage. Therefore, we are forced to agree with Tocqueville regarding the natural and irreversible historical tendency and human development towards a more equal and democratic society. Tocqueville’s concern was to understand what constitutes the “democratic man” and how democracy transforms human nature. Today, given that our nature is already transformed, it seems pertinent to understand what does it mean to be democratic, and what does it mean to live in democracy. If democracy transforms, in an irreversible manner, our lives, thoughts and ways of seeing and projecting the world, what changed since Tocqueville’s time? Are the dangers Tocqueville denounced still the same, or should we prepare ourselves to deal with new ones new dangers that we should prepare ourselves to? What is the impact of democratization in the world and human nature? The goal of this paper is to look into actual democratic conditions, especially in its tense relationship between equality and liberty, and to understand how Tocqueville provides answers to contemporary challenges.

DOI  http://dx.doi.org/10.15304/ag.34.2.2173