Abstract

The article focuses on the connection between political philosophy and metaphysics as this is developed in "Disputandum est" by Antonella Besussi. The basic problem is the "secularized" idea of politics, typical of political liberalism, according to which political debates do not, and should not, involve truth. It is argued that this idea is not really justified (and is counterproductive), as in fact political disagreements (especially irreducible disagreements) significantly occur when fundamental ideas of how things stand and how human beings are come into conflict. Even when the issues seem to be normative, factual considerations are operating. This means that truth plays a relevant and somehow unavoidable role in politics, and an adequate reflection on politics cannot avoid metaphysical problems and their influence on democratic deliberation.