Claude Lefort
was a French philosopher known for his reflections on the notion of totalitarianism.
In the 60s and 70s he built a
philosophy of democracy as the political regime where power is an empty,
unfinished place, always being built, where divergent opinions and interests alternate.
But for society to incorporate indeterminacy and power as an empty place into its culture is not easy.
In moments of crisis, economic crises, crises of political representation, institutional crises, when the great beliefs that sustain our political identities dissolve,
people find it difficult to sustain the principle of indeterminacy of democracy.
A difficult situation
can be bearable if there is a solid belief system
that makes us feel that those of us who are suffering are united, either by deep features of our civic culture or by leadership that marks a path that goes from darkness to darkness. the hope.
When credibility in institutions is low, and leadership experiences end in frustration, when citizens' perception is that they live in a fragmented system and where they do not feel represented by their representatives, that is when the search
for of strong references.
One of the great attractions of populism, of any political sign, is the
simplification of the scenario.
In populist discourse there is a dividing line between friends and enemies, there are unifying slogans that solve everything, and
there is little attention to the consequences of the policies that are applied, because what matters is attracting momentary support.
This is accentuated in a time where
social networks strongly encourage simplifications
,
where memes replace speeches,
where indignation and rapid polarization replace any debate.
It is then that these policies can become irresponsible.
Irresponsible in a double sense
.
Irresponsible over time because they do not care, for example, about the inflation they cause with their measures, or “systemically” irresponsible, because they only look at what concerns their objectives, without thinking about the consequences on society, made up of different sectors and interests, some more vulnerable than others.
Argentina is in one of those critical moments, where not only the future of the economy but that of its institutions is at stake.
A moment where responsibility, as the opposite of what got us here, should be the highest priority and the central node on which our destiny is played out.
Those who think that democracy is based on a political culture without identity are in danger of making a mistake.
Where it is enough to respect the diversity of opinions, be tolerant and build coalitions, to reverse the dangerous course that our country has taken in recent times.
For this to be possible,
this demand for responsibility must nestle in the hearts of many Argentines.
And for that, those who defend it are going to have to turn it into a socially strong discourse.
Today democracy needs to compete in the field of ideas with authoritarian tendencies that are installed in spaces undermined by simplification and polarization.
Rationality and responsibility are going to have to find in the near future those who defend
and embody them.
The author of this column is a political scientist.