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printIn the footsteps of what we read:
a small book on a big problem
Baev V.G.,
Tambov State Technical University, Tambov, Russia, vgbaev@gmail.com
elibrary_id: 615831 | ORCID: 0000-0002-5837-4991 |
Marchenko A.N.,
Tambov State Technical University, Tambov, Russia, alexey_ctk@mail.ru
elibrary_id: 890830 | ORCID: 0000-0002-8446-2303 |
DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2022.01.13
Rubric: Reflecting on Matters in Print
For citation:
Baev V.G., Marchenko A.N. In the footsteps of what we read: a small book on a big problem. – Polis. Political Studies. 2022. No. 1. P. 166-175. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2022.01.13
Abstract
In the proposed review, its authors subject to a thorough analysis of the book by A.D. Kerimov, “Democracy: An Experience of Critical Analysis” (Moscow: Norma, 2019). The authors consider the work of A.D. Kerimov as extremely relevant, because over the past 30 years, our country has not only talked about democracy, but also “practiced” it. Unfortunately, it should be admitted that the majority of scholars studying the problem of democracy do not predict its flourishing in the near historical perspective. From the main argument – the Russian people are not ripe to understand the essence of democracy as the rule of the people. We acknowledge that A.D. Kerimov is indicative, reflecting the attitude of the Russian scientific community to democracy as a subject of scientific discourse. He made an attempt to “reveal the vices and flaws” not only of democracy, but also of the corresponding ideology and world outlook. And, what is especially important, it considers ways to overcome the vices of democracy. The author proposes to overcome the flaws of democracy “by decisively introducing into the political systems of developed countries the elements characteristic, relatively speaking, of the aristocratic form of power”. Unfortunately, A.D. Kerimov does not explain how the governance of a democratic minority diminishes or denies the idea of democracy. The authors of the review believe that Professor A.D. Kerimov should designate democracy not as “the technology of the rule of the minority by means of the majority”, but as “the technology of rule of the minority under the influence of the majority”, or “the technology that allows taking into account the opinion of the minority”. Selected episodes of A.D. Kerimov demonstrate an example of the most widespread thesis against democracy: it is not the people who govern, but “behind the scenes”. But what can replace democracy if, according to A.D. Kerimov, can the “behind the scenes” rule within the framework of autocracy, totalitarianism, and even a monarchy? Meanwhile, the authors of the review believe that the developed demo-cracy (and not its “imitation” dummy) enables the majority of the population to somehow influence the content of government decisions. The conflict of positions “democracy” - “authoritarianism” is a conflict of worldviews. In our country, the lower strata (“poor”) and the middle class are still poorly aware of their interests. As such self-awareness grows, the demand for democracy will rise. The authors of the review are convinced that the time is not far off when the country will be ready, if not to accept, then to understand democracy.
Keywords
A.D. Kerimov, state, law, politics, democracy, achievements of democracy, vices of democracy.
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Content No. 1, 2022
See also:
,
Mirage of democracy. – Polis. Political Studies. 2014. No6
Krasin Yu.A.,
Metamorphoses of Democracy in the Changing World. – Polis. Political Studies. 2006. No4
Zubov A.B.,
Democracy’s organic preferences. – Polis. Political Studies. 2013. No2
Shapiro Ien,
Rethinking Democratic Theory in the Face of Contemporary Politics. – Polis. Political Studies. 2001. No4
Bondarenko S.V.,
Particularities of the formation and of the functioning of «electronic democracy» sites. – Polis. Political Studies. 2011. No5
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