Democracy as a Philosophical Concept

Abstract

The present article proceeds from Badiou's metapolitical understanding of democracy as a philosophical concept. Since according to Badiou the philosophical grasping of democracy depends on its meeting the criteria of politics as the truth procedure and on its succeeding in subtracting itself from the logic of representation (the state of situation or the State), we subsequently concentrate on Badiou's theory of the State. Simultaneously, we expose Badiou's later interpretation of communism, which he, contrary to his previous theory of communism as the destruction of representation, understands as the practice of subtraction from it. In conclusion, we stress that democracy and communism in Badiou's comprehension overlap in the subtracted space from the realm of representation (the State) as the practice of production of the same, which is possible only under the egalitarian prescription.