PAOLO BAGNOLI

Società e politica. Considerazioni sulla filosofia della democrazia in Tocqueville  

N. 3/1987

 

Summary — In this essay the problem is examined of the relation between the moment of society and that of politics in Tocqueville’s work starting from the consideration that the Tocqueville elaboration is founded on a real philosophy of democracy. After pointed out and analysed the difficulties posed by a correct reading of Democracy in America and reviewed the interpretations given by some scholars - Nicola Matteucci, Vittorio de Caprariis, Anna Maria Battista, Dino Cofrancesco, Antonio Zanfarino and others - the a., in developing his thesis, starts from the consideration that the fundamental purpose of Tocqueville's work is to educate to democracy. This task has a philosophical-political value and to be able to fulfil it Tocqueville interlaces the analysis of society with that of the forms of politics expressed by the latter. Between the two moments there is a direct correlation and not only because political forms are the outcome of a certain way of being of society, but inasmuch as both society and the forms of the public political organization sink their roots in the same ethical humus. There is, therefore, a philosophy that holds together the aspects of the American democratic experience and into which Tocqueville intends to penetrate bringing back the peculiarity of American matters to a constitutive element. The a. points out how in Tocqueville’s opinion equality is the source of that philosophy of democracy which is the philosophy of the new era originated from the Revolution. Also the politics that follows derives from such historicism that Tocqueville does not accept submissively but on the analysis of which he deeply applies his mind. The historical events reveal to Tocqueville that in the unfolding of the democratic process, freedom and equality end by exceeding the margins of differentiation and be identical. The moral superiority of democracy appears to him just through its tending toward the one and only goal of freedom and equality. After dwelling on the various aspects inherent the moral quality of democracy, the a. points out how Tocqueville grasps, with great finesse, one point: democracy changes the spirit of social relations; does not eliminate classes and differentiations but founds a new ethics in social relations. Tocqueville’s philosophy of democracy has, therefore, the character of a public philosophy since it concerns non-formal aspects of human living.