Einleitung: Demokratie in der Krise – rechts- und sozialphilosophische Aspekte

The current debate about the “crisis” of democracy has begun after 2016 and is closely related to political populism. This introduction to the special issue “Democracy in Crisis – Philosophical Perspectives” points out that in many important contributions to this debate it remains unclear both what exactly populism is and what understanding of democracy is assumed. This is particularly unfortunate when the concept of populism is to be understood in contrast to democracy. Usually a tension between populism and democratic representation is emphasized. However, the 108 Einleitung: Demokratie in der Krise contributions in this special issue show that this view is too narrow. Different levels of legitimacy must be distinguished. Also, the relationship between democracy and the rule of law is more complex than many authors assume. In addition, some of the main proposals on how to meet the populist challenge seem to make highly controversial assumptions.