Politics and democracy as imaginary creations: of the greeks to us

Abstract

This article is developed in three parts. In the first, using the categorial framework of the theory of the imagination by Cornelius Castoriadis, we elucidate the sense in which politics and democracy are imaginary creations, how to understand the imagination and the imaginary element that there is in human creation, what the social imaginary meanings are and what function they fulfill for social cohesion. In the second part, we focus on the aspects that allow us to differentiate the Greek political imaginary with respect to the modern political imaginary, showing in what sense the democratic regime is the political realization of the project of autonomy. In the final part, we show how the substantial aspects of democracy are concealed in its very proceduralist and instrumentalist conceptions. We conclude by proposing our idea of education for democracy as critical theory.