Norberto Bobbio: The breath of freedom and the risks of democracy

Abstract

The article briefly outlines key aspects of Norberto Bobbio’s political thought on democracy in modern society. Continuing a dialogue with Bobbio begun in 1998, the author points out the differences between the Italian thinker and the “realist” and conservative theses of Schumpeterian thought, a difference expressed in the weight Bobbio gave to the value dimension of democracy as opposed to a coldly “procedural” definition. In light of contemporary political experience, the author also points out what he considers the limits of Bobbio’s thinking on democracy.