Abstract

In accord with Jean–Luc Nancy and Alain Badiou the article argues for an understanding of the idea of democracy as a “truth procedure” that is instigated by the event of the encounter of at least two persons or peoples. When Nancy states that democracy is “spirit,” “breath,” and “sense” he implicitly links democracy to the idea of the soul. As life principle of the human being the soul instigates a truth procedure which brings humanity into being as an idea that exceeds any concept of citizenship bound to a state or nation. In association with both Giorgio Agamben’s reading of Karl Marx and Jacques Rancière’s concept of politics the article concludes with the statement that the idea of democracy refers to the soul of politics which is the idea of humanity.