More than modus vivendi, less than overlapping consensus: towards a political theory of social compromise

C. Arnsperger , Emmanuel Picavet (1)

1 IHPST - Institut d'Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques

Political theory often relies on a definite vision of the lack of consensus,which does not necessarily exclude the possibility of some modus vivendi. It turns out however that a mere modus vivendi is widely felt to be insufficient to warrant political stability and a well-ordered society. Starting from distributive-justice issues and problems of ethical conflict in democratic society, it is argued that the middle ground between a mere modus vivendi and full-blown consensus has room for a useful concept of compromise which accounts for basic aspects of the dynamics of political arrangements.

Mots clés: Compromise; Consensus; Distributive ethics; John Rawls; Modus vivendi; Negotiation; Public values

Domaines: Histoire, Philosophie et Sociologie des sciences

C. Arnsperger, Emmanuel Picavet. More than modus vivendi, less than overlapping consensus: towards a political theory of social compromise. Information sur les sciences sociales, 2004, 43, pp.167-204. ⟨halshs-00791836⟩