Education for Democracy and Deliberation: A Rereading in Aristotelian Code

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to question the meaning of education for democracy. In doing so, it begins by examining the contemporary contents of the concept of democracy and its historical development. From there, a meaning or connotation of democratic education is suggested based on Aristotle’s ethical and political proposal, under the assumption that such a framework allows for a useful reinterpretation of the contemporary paradigm of deliberative democracy. The thesis defended throughout the article is that training for democracy implies a paideia whereby individuals are given the skills they need to carry out their role as citizens. This means efforts in the field of education should be directed towards developing and strengthening reflection, ethical-political reasoning, and the ways and means required to seek consensus. Seen from this perspective, these are the tools that allow for dealing with the problems and disagreements typical of the interaction that occurs between individuals by means of democratic principles.