Ideological Erosion of Liberal Democracy.

Abstract

Within the framework of the general scientific discussion on the crisis of democracy in the article, the problem is considered through the prism of the loss of the ideological integrity of liberal democracy, its value of confusion. The trends of deviation from ideas and values which form the ideological foundation of liberal democracy are considered. A well-known American philosopher and psychologist J. Dewey, witnessing the fall of popularity among the general population of the classical liberal doctrine and the idea of democracy in general, said: “It is necessary to study the idea itself again and again, the very meaning of democracy. Democracy needs to be constantly opened and reopened ... Democracy as a form of life can not stand still. To live, it needs to evolve in accordance with the changes already made and those that have only to happen. If democracy does not move forward, if it tries
to remain unchanged, it is on the path of regress, which leads to its extinction”. The perception of liberalism as “the hopelessly outdated relic of the nineteenth century” was provoked, according to Dewey, to his complete isolation from reality and the expectations of society, with his own isolation. Consequently, the American thinker emphasizes the need for a critical revision of a number of fundamental principles of the classical liberal doctrine, which will make liberalism and democracy more attractive to the general public. As a result, Dewey is known
to have joined the development of “new liberalism”, which was called social liberalism. The latter became, to some extent, an intellectual response, a reaction to processes that threatened to transform democracy into a “formula of powerlessness and stagnation”.
The report by the Trilateral Commission entitled “The Democracy Crisis” (1975), authored by authoritative scholars M. Crozier, S. Gantington and
D. Watanuki, warn of a “gloomy future that awaits democratic rule”. This report provoked a lively scientific debate focused on democracy, its prospects, threats and challenges. deological erosion of liberal democracy is not limited to outdated deviations. Theoretic reflection requires other key ideas that fill the value of liberal democracy, however, which are devalued in the present conditions or even annihilated altogether. In particular, the idea of human rights and freedoms, consensus, personal and public security, the problem of the “dictatorial minority” and others that form the ideological foundation of liberal democracy are of interest to subsequent in depth scientific research.