Threatened Democracy and the Reconstruction of Public Justification

Abstract

Threats and tensions which exist in the daily lives of democracies demand their revitalization. The general objective is to defend public argumentation as the most important characteristic for the affirmation of democracy, its original characteristics and the adequate mechanism for the construction of references that legitimize and dynamize social justice considering the new contexts of globalization, technology and communication. The established criterion of the majority is insufficient today. Democratic actions should be mediated especially by public argumentation and social participation with up-to-date methods and instruments aimed at correcting the fanaticism and self-interest rooted in leaders and institutions.