Civic virtue and contemporary republicanism: between proceduralism and plebeism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/1677-2954.2026.e109954Keywords:
republicanism, civic virtue, proceduralism, plebeism, democracyAbstract
This paper examines how civic virtue manifests in two distinct strands of contemporary republicanism: proceduralist and plebeian. While proceduralist republicanism, represented by Philip Pettit, emphasizes formal institutions and procedures as guarantees of republican freedom through non-domination, plebeian republicanism defends the need for direct and continuous popular participation to control power. The analysis demonstrates that although both currents recognize civic virtue as a central element of the republican tradition, they fundamentally diverge on the institutional practices necessary for its realization. Proceduralism relies on indirect contestation mechanisms and partial depoliticization of democracy, while plebeism values political conflict and direct collective action as essential instruments of freedom. This distinction has important implications for the contemporary debate on democratic participation and institutional design.
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