Abstract

The ancient concept of democracy was ambiguous. It aimed at introducing the sphere of freedom and authentic human existence into social life. However, under the unforeseen influence of economic factors, it degenerated into its opposite, i.e. the sphere of violence. The modern concept of democracy appeared in different circumstances, but it is also collapsing into the sphere of violence. In my paper I sketch the development of the ancient and modern concepts of democracy to show how important it is for a truly humane society to synthesize ideas from both of these concepts correctly. I point out that such proper synthesis is possible only if the conditions of rational communication are met