In this book, Martin
Ebeling discusses how we ought to react to our persistent political
disagreement with other citizens. He presents this disagreement as not only a
moral problem, but also as an epistemically unsettling phenomenon, as we often
have reason to judge our opposition to be as competent as ourselves in judging
the political issues at stake. Conciliatory
Democracy reflects on the political philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and
claims that advocates of deliberative democracy, which treats political
disagreement mainly as a moral problem, should expand their approach. The
author promotes Rousseau's appreciation of disagreement in contemporary
political philosophy as a way to encourage conciliation within democracy.
Ebeling furthermore draws on public choice theory and empirical research to
reintroduce political parties as vital players in the institutional landscape
of democracy.