Navigating procedural democracy

Daryl Glaser

Chapter 9 in The Substance in Liberal Democracy, 2026, pp 157-176 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Ideologically open proceduralism offers an institutional solution to political conflict. It imposes widely agreed rules reasonably impartially. But, as noted in Chapter 3, it benefits from supportive conditions. Among these are the supportive dispositions of those participating in the system. It expects participants in the political community to play different roles at different times and to understand the obligations and virtues specific to roles. The roles of philosopher, founder and politico garner particular attention here. Open proceduralism does not require participants in the system to be impartial, unless they are charged with designing or enforcing rules, and, even then, only incompletely. The politico engages legitimately in openly ideological projects. Yet just as the philosopher and founder are not under a veil of ignorance – ‘remember who they are’ ideologically, even as they seek reasonable agreement among diverse actors – so politicos need to respect rules and, more than that, exercise objectivity in judgement of conduct. The ideal political actor, moreover, tempers passionate belief with moral and epistemic doubt, lest they feel compelled to violate rules to achieve their goals. Liberalism straddles roles in a particular way. Passionately pursuing ends while respecting fair rules is itself liberal procedural conduct, whatever one's ideological ends. In the case of egalitarian liberalism, adherents not only seek an egalitarian society, they respect procedural rules that may yield inegalitarian winners. They do so because procedural equality is for them not simply a ‘means’ to an egalitarian end but an expression of their deep values and a component of their just end.

Keywords: Epistemic democracy; Passion and doubt; Objectivism and relativism; Democratic roles and virtues; Procedural rules versus just ends; Liberalism; Liberal egalitarianism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035333011
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