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Systemypolityczne
sphere,however,notveryoftendowepresentitanddefineit(describeit)
asavalue.Thisdoesnot,however,concerntheconstantattemptsatprovid-
ingitwithascientificdefinition.Sometimesthetermisalsousedinawide
varietyofwaystoachieveadhocpoliticalobjectives.Theidealized,albeit
diverse,conceptofdemocracy,becameanentityinitself,anautonomous
being,whichwasmoreoftenthannotdetachedfromitsrationalandempiri-
calcharacter.Theidealmodelofdemocracyinthepublicdebateissome-
thingwhichisoverused,anddependingonpoliticalmotivation;applied,
empiricaldemocracy,asaformofgovernment,issometimesassessedas
eitherbeinginlinewiththisidealorasitsnegation.Sometimesitisenough
toprovidepoliticalandmediadebaterswiththeetymologicalmeaningof
thewordsdemosandkrateo(‘Igovern’).Atothertimes,thediscussionalso
comesdowntoasimple,mostlypolitical,interpretation:theruleofthe
majority(whichisusuallyonlyacertainkindofminority)cannotbesubject
torestrictions,asthismajority,sinceitisamajority,maydowhateverit
wishes.“Whatisneededinthissituation,”asStanisławFilipowiczstated,
“isbrakes,speedbumpsandgates.Mechanismsthatrequirepatienceand
attention.Distanceis,aboveall,oftheessence.”
1
Unlimited,freedemocracy,
whichservestheimplementationofrandompoliticalagendasofthepeople
formingamajorityatanygivenmoment,caneasilytransformintoacontra-
dictionofdemocracy.Thisversionofthepostulated,desireddemocracy,can
oftenbeheardinthelanguageofthepoliticsoftoday.Thisismadeallthe
moreeasier,asthereneverexistedoneidealofdemocracy,noranyoneof
itsaxiologicalforms.
Democracycanalsobesuccessfullycalledamyth.Themagicformu-
la.Mythos1aword,alegend,afairytale,hasmanyambiguousmean-
ingsinscience.Itcanbeastorycodifyingbeliefs,itcanbeassociatedwith
magic,worship,ritual,asacredformula,aworldviewstructure.Insociol-
ogyitmeansanirrational,unreasonableimaginingsaboutrealityandbeliefs,
whichoftencarryemotionalweight.Italsomeansthinkingalongthelines
ofdesire.Democracycansuccessfullybefoundplayingthisveryroleas
well.Todayitisalsopartofpopularculture.Alongwiththecreationand
developmentofmassmediaandmasscommunication,theconceptofdemoc-
racyisincludedinthebasicconceptsofmasscultureandisbecomingthe
basicconcept(alongwithothers)ofmodernman.Itresultsfromdeprecia-
tionofnon-democracy(totalitarianism),regardlessoftheattemptsmadeto
revitalizeit.Afeatureofmasscultureistheindiscriminatecopyingofrare
originals.Atthispoint,itisworthtakingalookatanexcellentevaluationof
acertainstancewhichwasdescribedbyUmbertoEco.“Wearegivingyou
1
S.Filipowicz:Demokracja.Owładzyiluzjiwkrólestwierozumu.Warszawa2007,
p.183.
