Liberal Democracy and the Empire of Speed

In: Polity: the journal of the Northeastern Political Science Association, Band 34, Heft 1, S. 41-67

Abstract

The concept of "time & space compression," as formulated by a number of prominent social theorists, has far-reaching consequences for democratic theory. The time & space horizons of human activity are undergoing dramatic changes, chiefly because the high-speed character of crucial forms of social & economic activity tends to "annihilate" distance. Simultaneity & instantaneousness increasingly become constitutive features of the human condition. By examining traditional assumptions about time & space within liberal democratic political theory, we can begin to see how time & space compression undermines conventional ideas about legislative-executive relations, majority rule, constitutionalism, & the rule of law. However, there may be ways by which defenders of liberal democracy can overcome the dilemmas generated by time & space compression. Adapted from the source document.