French Literature Reviews - 2026

C. Castoriadis, Democracy and Relativism. Debates with MAUSS
History, Politics and Society

Democracy and Relativism - Debates with MAUSS
Cornelius Castoriadis
Jean-Louis Prat (Preface), Enrique Escobar, Myrto Gondicas, Pascal Vernay

Published: 03/02/2010
Publisher: Mille et une Nuits
ISBN: 978-2-7555-0144-5
EAN: 9782755501445
No. of pages: 141 pages

Publisher price: 12.00€

An article about this book can be read on the nonfiction.fr website:

"Rethinking Democracy", by B. Brossard.

“I want to shake people up, and I want to make them understand that man is not, by divine right, a democratic being. That democracy was a creation, a conquest of history, that it is constantly in danger and that, moreover, it is slipping away.” It is with great optimism that one should welcome Democracy and Relativism. Optimism, because it is rare to find books that do not seek to tell us about democracy what we already believe, that are not limited to the few ideas in vogue in the journalistic and political worlds.

Cornélius Castoriadis's thought bears witness to this independence of mind, to this will to think the world otherwise than through common sense, whether liberal, Marxist, or even democratic. Invited by MAUSS in 1994 for a debate session, the philosopher and psychoanalyst clarifies some of his ideas, transcribed in this 130-page work, if we include the introduction. The latter is written by Jean-Louis Prat and offers a perspective on the remarks that will be made. One could briefly summarize the intellectual approach in three points:

- First, rejecting capitalism as a natural system;
- Second, establishing a non-dogmatic Marxist thought;
- Third, defining what a democracy would be within this conceptual framework.

[…]

This publication preserves the intellectual exchange from a 1994 debate session involving the philosopher and psychoanalyst Cornélius Castoriadis and the Mouvement anti-utilitariste dans les sciences sociales. The text captures a critical engagement with contemporary political models, standing apart from prevailing journalistic and conventional political consensus. Readers interested in twentieth-century political philosophy, heterodox Marxism, and critiques of capitalism may find this work relevant.