Temelcilik ve Ötesi: Demokrasi Teorilerinin Eleştirel Bir Analizi

Abstract

This study introduces how democracy can be evaluated based on a post-foundationalist understanding, of democracy by pointing out the problematic aspects that arise from considering democracy from a foundational perspective. Foundationalism refers to the assumption that an ultimate principle is constitutive in grounding politics and society. Foundationalist approaches in democracy studies restrict democracy to a particular ultimate principle and attempt to construct the ideal democratic order upon this principle. Therefore, for a foundationalist theory of democracy, all that needs to be done is establishing a consistent system on this fundamental principle, which is assumed to be ultimate. However, no principle that reveals the grounding movement in democracy is ultimate. This is because the principles that ground democracy can only exist with their contingent, temporary, and contextual qualities. Opposing views to foundationalism can emerge as anti-foundationalism, which holds that no principle can found society. It can also emerge with the post-foundationalist view, which rejects only the claim of the ultimate principle but accepts the necessity of provisional and contingent principles and the process of grounding and ungrounding. This study argues that anti- foundationalism's rejection of all forms of grounding is also a type of foundationalism. Therefore, throughout the study, while critisizing the concept of democracy in the context of foundationalism, the possibility of its evaluation based on a post-foundationalist perspective is sought. In this context, the first part of the study problematizes the (non-)origins of democracy through foundationalism in a historical framework. The concepts of politeia and res publica are at the center of problematization. The second chapter is devoted to the evaluating democracy in the context of the modern state, sovereignty, contractualism, and representation. At the same time, the ideal of neutrality and public space are also adressed. In the last part of the thesis, arguments for modeling democracy are subject to a critical analysis. Consequently, the key debates in post- foundational political theory on grounding-ungrounding characteristics of democracy, the question of the an-arkhê principle, and the democracy to-come are emphasized.