Fikcje polityczne i legitymizacja władzy w demokracji

Abstract

Political fictions and the legitimation of power in democracy

The article seeks to analyse the content and the role of “political fictions” of social contract and representation in a democratic political system. It begins with a model of democratic legitimation within which the two conceptions serve as transmitters of ideas making the actual unequal distribution of power on which any political system rests acceptable to the ruled. By providing justification for the origin of the existing power relations, explaining their mechanisms, providing role models for rulers and allowing to by-pass the question of direct responsibility for political decisions, the fictions of contract and representation ultimately contribute to the stability of a democratic political system.