“Majority rule…never is merely majority rule.
As a practical politician…said a long time ago:
‘The means by which a majority comes to be a
majority is the more important thing:
antecedent debates, modifications of view to
meet the opinions of minorities, the relative
satisfaction given the latter by the fact that it
has had a chance and that next time it may be
successful in becoming a majority…The
essential need, in other words, is the
improvement of the methods of conditions of
debate, discussion and persuasion.”
John Dewey
There is a robust core of phenomena that count
as deliberative democracy in all (versions of
deliberative democracy). All agree, I think, that
the notion includes collective decision making
with the participation of all who will be affected by
the decision or their representatives; this is the
democratic part. Also, all agree that bit includes
decision making by means of arguments offered
by and to participants who are committed to the
values of rationality and impartiality: this is the
deliberative part.
Jon Elster
Theories of democracy
Pure
Procedural
Pure
epistemic
• «rational discourse» should include any
attempt to reach an understanding over
problematic validity claims insofar as this
takes place undern conditions of
communiaction that enabe the free
processing of topics and contributions,
information and reasons in the public space
constitutied by illocutionary obligations.»