Pavo Barišić

The main topic of the book Welt und Ethos (1992) is Hegel's attitude towards the sundown of the occidental spiritual development. It analyses the turning point from the pinnacle of the absolute idealism to the nihilistic eclipse of the European metaphysics. In focus of its reconsideration is the concept of the world as ethos of the man, his whereabouts, abode, domicile, home, ecumene, the inhabited earth. It sheds light on Hegel's re-narration of the teleological order of events in the world history.

The book finishes with a famous parable on the spirit as a seed. Through this comparison, the ambiguous and dialectical nature of Hegel's view emerges into the broad daylight: "He has proved that the western spiritual life has attained its ripeness. After that, the ripened seed has to fall off, decay and decline. However, Hegel's position differs substantially from the nihilism that followed it; thus, he does not consider only one side of the completion of the spirit in the world. The development does not end in the sheer ruination of the thousands years’ work of the spirit in the world. From the ripened fruit arises a new seed, a new principle and life."[10]

Erwin Hufnagel explains that this study "propounds all substantial parts of Hegel's philosophy" and "takes into consideration the relevant secondary literature with a rare systematic potency and impressive capability of differentiation".[11]

In the thematic issue on Democracy and Political Education, edited on the 150th anniversary of John Dewey, Barišić highlights two key moral criteria "that in a special way point to the superiority of the educational ideal in a democratic community over any other form of social integration. First, there is the level of common interest that is realised in a society. The second principle is that of freedom to develop new common and individual interests in various forms of association."[12]

The main question is whether the ethical ideal of humanity could be applied as a philosophical basis for the evaluation and justification of democratic practices. The study considers that Dewey's advocacy of strengthening the moral and participative democracy links in local communities was the reason why his model of democracy has found its way into the communitarian discourse. Dewey does not destroy the foundations of liberalism and democracy by emphasising the substantial communication-community-common connection, but rather enriches, strengthens, and takes the same to a higher level.[13]

In his essay on Aristotle's Thinking of the Many and Deliberation, Barišić argues against the elitist theory of democracy. His standpoint is that, through the process of deliberation, a group of people acquire a new quality; they become a unity and a community. When citizens get together to deliberate and make common decisions upon thoughtful consideration, they reach a cognitive and moral level which is higher than the level of a minority of experts and honourable individuals, the so-called elite, regardless of their individually achieved perfections.

Barišić elaborates five arguments of Aristotle's in favour of the democratic deliberation of the multitude: political, ethical, dianoetic, teleological, and collective responsibility. He concludes that Aristotle brought to light fundamental arguments on deliberation and the advantages of the rule of the many that are, in some way, still valid today. Politics is neither a mere procedure (Rawls) nor a purely a rational discourse (Habermas). It is practical wisdom, judgment, and a matter of deliberation and pooling by the many.[14]

In his book The Ideal of the Rule of the People, Barišić reconsiders certain significant stations of the historical sailing of the ship of democracy. His central reflections are devoted to contemporary straits, cliffs and storms that democracy is facing at different meridians. Particular attention is paid to global perspectives and projections of advantages and perils that the democracy vessel is to expect in the future.

Barišić argues that the great story of the rule of the people in the world has not ended yet. It continues indeed, with democracy thus being regenerated and rejuvenated. "It has not withered in ‘post-democracy’. Irrespective of all the deficiencies and shortcomings which are observable in political acting, the crucial goals which politics aspires to pursue in achieving freedom, equality, justice, human rights and the common good are something that makes politics precious and noble. The democratic path to these objectives is shorter and safer than others."[15]

The book on Cosmopolitan Democracy, edited with Henning Ottmann, rounds out their trilogy on the contemporary issues of the “rule by the people”. In his reconsideration of the “scope and aporias of cosmopolitan democracy”, Barišić comes to the final verdict that the idea of cosmopolitan democracy is a noble-hearted vision that, for the time being, contains a “flaw” of appropriate realization in the present realpolitik.[16] On the other hand, he argues for the unique historical project of the European Union as one of the successful attempts to transfer the content of human rights protection on the transnational level.[17]