The Revival of Democratic Theory in the United States

The modern democratic theorist is adversely criti cized on all sides. Consequently, the performance of the five main tasks of democratic theory is not easily undertaken. These tasks include, first, integration of the values, facts, and policies of a democratic society; second, clarification of the values that civilized men ought to live by; third, illumination of the way a democratic society actually conducts its business; fourth, prudent guidance in grappling with the real problems of political life; fifth, stimulation of significant normative, em pirical, and prudential research. A major hindrance in the performance of these tasks is the dread of the sin of Procrustes, the sin of stretching or mutilating political reality in order to make the world conform to a radical theory. Reaction against this dread has led some conservative thinkers to a shotgun attack on political theory which often fails to distinguish be tween radical-totalitarian and liberal-democratic theory. Care ful analysis of this attack suggests that there is room for a sane, sagacious, activistic liberal-democratic theory between a dan gerous radical theory and an unrealistic conservative philosophy.