Raymond Aron and the 'Sense of Compromise' in Democracy

Authors

  • Laure Gillot-Assayag Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jffp.2023.1040

Keywords:

democracy, Aron, compromise, totalitarianism, liberalism

Abstract

This article seeks to explore the relevance of compromise in Raymond Aron’s essays. The concept of compromise has never been subjected to critical scrutiny in his works. The paper offers a new interpretation of R. Aron’s democratic theory by arguing that “the sense of compromise”, mainly set out in Democracy and Totalitarianism, is a foundational and pivotal concept to highlight the specifics of his liberal thought and his understanding of democratic pluralism.

It aims to provide a critical analysis, presenting a focused exploration of three types of compromise, broken down into three areas (the political-pluralist compromise; the economic compromise; the foreign policy compromise). In each of these cases, key qualities and limitations of compromise solutions for deadlocked controversies are outlined.
The article argues that, for R. Aron, economic compromise is the easiest to achieve.
The paper further discusses possible criteria that can help to discriminate moral from immoral compromises. It concludes that “the sense of compromise” is inseparable from any serious attempt to think afresh R. Aron’s democratic theory.

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Published

2024-04-12

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 1/2 (2023)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Laure Gillot-Assayag

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