Una possibile necessità. Metodo ed ethos della democrazia nel pensiero politico di Reinhold Niebuhr

In The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness of 1944, not only was Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) implementing a harsh criticism against the traditional defense of democracy offered by the liberal thought but he also formulated a justification of it starting from the Christian tradition. However, as is evident in many others of his writings, the Protestant theologian did not aim to identify Christianity as a necessary foundation of this political regime. This article analyzes his attempt to demystify and desacralise democracy. Niebuhr wants to propose a more realistic and secular perspective to better understand the method and the ethos of democracy, through the rediscovery of the Christian view of human nature and history.