Abstract

The political philosophy of Philip Pettit performs the normative reading of the republican matrix of political thought. In its historiographical and normative construction of the meaning of republicanism, the centrality of freedom as non-domination is reaffirmed. Pettit maintains the intention of rereading republican citizenship as inclusivist. Republicanism claims that freedom as non-domination is the necessary principle for the evaluation of any social and political organization. This principle does not constitute an a priori value of political theory because un-dominated relations are understood in their different forms and contexts. In the social sphere, it will require that relations between individuals be fair and there is no reason for fear or deference to economic or social differences. Freedom as non-domination can offer the necessary social resources so as not to have asymmetrical relations of influence and choice in political society. In the political arena, republican freedom will be represented by the ability of citizens to influence and direct the decisions of political representatives. Therefore, we will address the political elements necessary to contain public domination (imperium). In the democratic political arena, the opportunity for political participation, discussion of social and political disadvantages, and ways of containing public dominance will be mechanisms for reducing public domination. The exercise of contestation and popular control may be the political mechanisms for moving away from the minimalist way of understanding political action as realization of individual preferences (Schumpeter). This political exercise means the possibility of realizing the ideal of the common good through the discursive procedure of forming opinion and political will. The debate and the contestation constitute an environment for the understanding of common norms. In this sense, the Republican model of democracy prioritizes the exercise of basic political rights as the tool to establish political will. Republican democracy enables the sharing of political rights among citizens and encourages them to exercise popular control over government decisions.

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