Соrnelius Castoriadis and Vіncent Desсombes: two concepts of political modernity

Abstract

In the author’s opinion Соrnelius Castoriadis and Vіncent Desсombes propose two different concepts of political modernity. Castoriadis and Desсombes are made related in political philosophy by their insensitiveness to temptations of decisionism as well as to temptations of individualist’s rationalism, i.e. to the position-of-strength policy and to position-of-morals policy. For Castoriadis the Greek democracy is a “tragic regime” which personifies true policy. Castoriadis comprehends policy as deliberate collective activities which appear since the time when the question of law efficiency and value was raised. This precisely personifies “true policy” for him, the policy which is both creative and selfrestricted; that is why it is tragic. For Descombes policy is the “architectonic art”, that is practice which defines true place for other practices, proceeding from their significance and their function as a whole. At the same time policy is thus something restricted, that is relative.