El papel de las emociones en la teoría democrática. Desafíos para un uso público de la razón en tiempos de populismo

Nowadays, the revival of extreme right-wing populism as well as the increase of protest movements brings the emotions to the forefront. The political conflict seems then to be controlled by passions such as fear and rage. In this context it is worth asking if passions and emotions should play a role in the democratic political legitimacy. This article explores the problems of emotions in the democratic theory. First, we stress the role of emotions in the political scene today, particularly their role in the populist movements. Secondly, this paper advances some suggestion for a solution beyond a strict understanding of the criteria of deliberative democratic theory. The result is a new perspective of the possibilities of the practice of deliberative democracy, one which abandons the search for perfection in only one institution, and looks instead to a more dialogical understanding of deliberative theory itself.