Abstract

Modern democracy was thought as a political system capable, thanks to mass parties, of reconciling the elites with the “demos” in a game of control, balance and mutual enhancement. But democracy is changing.

Currently the role of the mass party is in crisis, and technological innovations risk increasing the distance between elites and demos, hindering the dialogue between the two (“decomposition of the representative democracy” hypothesis). The objective of this research is to identify the dynamics of change in the relationship between the elites and the demos in current and future democracy, with attention to the innovations enabled by the new digital technologies, aiming at exploring original solutions to counter-act the crisis of the democratic system. I will adopt the “experimental philosophy” method, that supplements the traditional philosophical methodology with the scientific methods of cognitive, anthropological, social and computing disciplines. In particular I will conduct the analysis with the support of the method of Futures Studies, integrating the Delphi method (to identify the influencing factors acting on the “representative democracy” field) and the Scenario method (to outline the possible outcomes on future democracy of the forces involved). My training project requires to deepen my knowledge on: cognitive and social implications of ICTs, roles of experts and of non-democratically elected institutions in the current political landscape, new forms of political participation, social and political foresight. Moreover DEM2.0 will help me learn to hybridize philosophical with empirical research in the political and psycho-social fields, coordinate a team, nurture international research networks, produce scientific texts in English, manage and design projects.

Importo del progetto

Finanziamento: euro 150.000

Durata

·       15/12/2022

·       14/12/2025

Referente

prof. Taddio Luca