POLITICS

Constant and liberty 🗽

Democracy. We all know what that is, right? A form of government in which we elect representatives to rule on our behalf. However, such a definition is somewhat incorrect, for the truth is that the meanings we give to democracy have changed significantly over time.

This was recognised by one Benjamin Constant, an 18th century French politician more recognised for his literary work (his romances are pretty good to be fair) than his political theory. For Constant, the democracy of the ‘ancients’ was far removed from modern conceptions of the word. Democracy as defined by the Athenians thousands of years ago was characterised by its directness. There were no genuine representative bodies akin to Parliament – rather, all male citizens could vote on any political issue. In other words, Greek democracy was something like a permanent succession of referenda in which all issues were decided by the people. For Constant, this ‘ancient liberty’ had a serious cost. In exchange for political agency, there were no guaranteed political rights, and even the most distinguished ancients could be ‘ostracised’ or executed. Moreover, this kind of democracy was practical in tiny city states, but was obviously impossible in 18th century France.

Therefore, Constant pushed for ‘modern liberty’, something very similar to our conception of democracy today. Whilst this removed direct political agency from the people, Constant recognised that only a representative system of government could a) govern huge societies and b) protect civil liberties from the whims of political opinion.

💡 Things to consider

• The costs of modern liberty: Constant was aware that modern liberty wasn’t perfect. In particular, he was worried that modern societies would give up on politics and absorb themselves with ‘commercial affairs’ and leisure, enabling our representatives to abuse their power without the public realising. Consider whether this has occurred to any extent in the UK. Do we keep a close enough eye on our politicians?

• The shadow of revolution: Constant’s argument didn’t appear from nothing. A contemporary of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, Constant’s political thought was directly inspired by the turmoil he lived through. In particular, Constant was alarmed by the revolutionary Jacobins, a group he accused of attempting to bring back ancient liberty in a modern setting, something he viewed as a disaster. Consider the extent to which political thought is grounded in historical context. Can you think of any other famous political works which were inspired directly by events their authors lived through?

• Adolphe: Constant’s most famous literary work is Adolphe, a novel in which the titular character pursues a doomed romance. The work grapples with many of the issues which are found in Constant’s political writings, most notably the perils of allowing public pressures to interfere in one’s domestic life. Adolphe is not the only work of fiction which deals with politics. A great place to start is utopian fiction, which often has strong political undertones. Indeed, the word ‘utopia’ comes from Thomas More’s Utopia, which effectively invented the genera. Explore Utopia and the ways in which fiction provides a vehicle for political argument.

🔎 Find out more

• Benjamin Constant - The Online Library of Liberty

• Democracy - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

🍒 The cherry on top

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