Democratic Freedom

Abstract

The chapter explores the meaning of democratic freedom. Building on the work of Hannah Arendt, it demonstrates that the long-standing debate between liberalism and republicanism does not exhaust the meaning of freedom. There is a unique conception of democratic freedom built into the democratic revolution, defined as the capacity to begin anew. The chapter clarifies what is democratic about this conception, and how it differs from positive freedom, conventionally understood. It shows that democratic freedom, defined as the capacity to begin anew offers a much-needed alternative to the many liberal and republican conceptions of freedom that dominate contemporary political theory, including freedom as non-interference, non-domination and self-determination.