Abstract
Jon Elster suggested that even speakers who are not moved “by a
concern for the common good”, but whose concerns are “purely self-interested”,
may be still forced or induced “to substitute the language of impartial argument for the language of self-interest”. This substitution would be the fruit of the civilizing force of hypocrisy. This argumentative hypocrisy is a key concept for
understanding a process of negotiation through persuasive strategies typical in
constitutional debates. Particularly, Elster believes that “the most important
requirement” of a bargaining theory should be “that we are able to specify what
will happen during a temporary breakdown of cooperation”. The constituents can
get out of an impasse caused by a non-cooperative situation resorting to
argumentative hypocrisy. The paper will analyse some examples taken from the
debate which led to the final version of the Italian Constitution.
concern for the common good”, but whose concerns are “purely self-interested”,
may be still forced or induced “to substitute the language of impartial argument for the language of self-interest”. This substitution would be the fruit of the civilizing force of hypocrisy. This argumentative hypocrisy is a key concept for
understanding a process of negotiation through persuasive strategies typical in
constitutional debates. Particularly, Elster believes that “the most important
requirement” of a bargaining theory should be “that we are able to specify what
will happen during a temporary breakdown of cooperation”. The constituents can
get out of an impasse caused by a non-cooperative situation resorting to
argumentative hypocrisy. The paper will analyse some examples taken from the
debate which led to the final version of the Italian Constitution.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 204-219 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Ethics, Politics and Society |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2019 |
Event | IX Braga Meetings on Ethics and Political Philosophy - University of Minho, Braga, Portugal Duration: 11 Jun 2018 → … |