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Abstract

This article intends to discuss two ofthe principal tensions present in the modern concept of democracy: the tension between facts and values and the tension between representation and participation, At first, we are going
to examine the consistency of the dominant thesis in the contemporary
democratic theory which states that democracy should be considered
exclusively according to empirical criteria and expurgated of any normative pretension. Afterwards, we are going to notice how such opposition between fact and norm reflects in the disputes between those who propose a political representation as the institutional foundation of democracy and the others who believe that such foundation resides in the broader participation of the citizens in the political process. The goal is to examine how complex tensions that are inherent in the modern concept of democracy are presented in terms of simple oppositions between one is supposed to choose.