Abstract

In France the critical literature on democracy is in both rich and long lasting. Much of this literature focuses not on democracy as a regime, but on democracy as a form of society. On such an issue Dominique Schapper's last book, L'esprit démocratique des lois, must be considered an extremely valuable contribution. According to the author, the current crisis of democracy is not provoked not so much by its missing achievements, but by its same philosophical premises pushing the "homo democraticus" to increase always his expectations.