Constant in the Light of Tocqueville

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48162/rev.100.014

Keywords:

Individual independence, Political liberty, Individualism, Participation, Liberalism, Republicanism

Abstract

Constant has been commonly considered as a definite liberal despite the fact that the last part of his famous Discourse presents a clear republican inspiration. The apparent conflict between these two inspirations in Constant can be solved by reconsidering Constant’s text from Tocqueville’s thought, because Tocqueville gets explaining how mere individual Independence, which is defended by liberalism, can be connected to political liberty without the latter being reduced to a simple instrument for the preservation of the former.

Author Biography

Alfredo Cruz Prados, Universidad de Navarra (España)

Phd. in Philosophy. Professor of Political Philosophy and History of Political Thought at the University of Navarra. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Bradley Institute for Democracy and Public Values (Milwaukee) and a Visiting Professor at The Catholic University of America (Washington). He has given courses and conferences at various universities in Latin America, and has published more than a dozen books on ethical and political issues.

References

Argüello, Santiago. “Introducción: Benjamin Constant y la estela de sus reflexiones sobre la libertad y el poder”. En: Argüello, S. (ed.). Benjamin Constant y su legado de libertad y poder. Mendoza: Idearium, 2021, p. 5-38

Berlin, Isaiah. “Dos Conceptos de Libertad”. Bayón, J. (trad.). En: Berlin, I. Cuatro ensayos sobre la libertad. Madrid: Alianza, 1988 [“Two Concepts of Liberty”, 1958], p. 187–243.

Boesche, Roger. The Strange Liberalism of Alexis de Tocqueville. Ithaca–London: Cornell University press, 1987.

Constant, Benjamin. Sobre el espíritu de conquista. Sobre la libertad en los antiguos y en los modernos. Madrid: Tecnos, 2002.

Cruz Prados, Alfredo. “Republicanismo y democracia liberal: dos conceptos de participación”. Anuario Filosófico. 2003, Vol. XXXVI, Nº 1, p. 83–109.

Lamberti, Jean–Claude. Libertad en la sociedad democrática. Pamplona: Eunsa, 1976.

Sciara, Giuseppe. “Libertad de los antiguos y de los modernos en Benjamin Constant: sus vicisitudes en el debate del siglo XX sobre liberalismo y democracia”. En Argüello, S. (ed.), Op. Cit., p. 39–75.

Tocqueville, Alexis de. El Antiguo Régimen y la Revolución, Madrid: Guadarrama, 1969.

Tocqueville, Alexis de. El Antiguo Régimen y la Revolución. Madrid: Alianza, 1982.

Tocqueville, Alexis de. La democracia en América, I y II, Madrid: Aguilar, 1989.

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Published

2023-11-16

How to Cite

Cruz Prados, A. (2023). Constant in the Light of Tocqueville . República Y Derecho, 9(9), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.48162/rev.100.014

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 9 (2024): Dossier: “Political liberalism. From Benjamin Constant to the present day”

Section

Dossier

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Copyright (c) 2023 Alfredo Cruz Prados

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