Political Equality in Ancient Athenian Democracy

Omca Özdemir

Article Details

Political Equality in Ancient Athenian Democracy

Authors:

Omca Özdemir

Publisher:

Ahmet Arif EREN

Main Topics:

Siyasal Teori ve Siyaset Felsefesi

Journal:

Politik Ekonomik Kuram Vol.8 Issue 3, pp.601-619

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

9/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001328075

pISSN:

2587-2567

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Political equality as a component of democracy, denotes the equal position of citizens within their collective regulation of their common life. Even though it is possible to provide a practical definition of political equality, it is not possible to speak of a consensus on its meaning and requisites. After all political equality, like other political concepts, has been shaped within the political structure and paradigm as well as the praxis of political struggle of the society, in which it has emerged. Indeed, the Ancient Athenian democracy, too, possessed a peculiar understanding of political equality and a political organization based on political equality. While putting forward a nuanced organization and a social life that offers its citizens a variety of opportunities for active political participation, the Athenian democracy represented an endeavor towards a common good that is beyond a notion of division of labor based on specialization, which is based on a face-to-face and deliberative political praxis. In that respect, the Athenian democracy diverged from a political outlook and regime in which citizens are subjected to a common good that is devoid of their own conditions of living, needs, and demands; and in which a conception of democracy, where the private invades the public sphere, where individual goods are mathematically translated into political decisions without being weighed, refined and transformed by encountering others, where citizens experience their freedom in their private lives with a deep sense of powerlessness in terms of the social dimension of their lives and macro-level political decisions.

 Political equality as a component of democracy, denotes the equal position of citizens within their collective regulation of their common life. Even though it is possible to provide a practical definition of political equality, it is not possible to speak of a consensus on its meaning and requisites. After all political equality, like other political concepts, has been shaped within the political structure and paradigm as well as the praxis of political struggle of the society, in which it has emerged. Indeed, the Ancient Athenian democracy, too, possessed a peculiar understanding of political equality and a political organization based on political equality. While putting forward a nuanced organization and a social life that offers its citizens a variety of opportunities for active political participation, the Athenian democracy represented an endeavor towards a common good that is beyond a notion of division of labor based on specialization, which is based on a face-to-face and deliberative political praxis. In that respect, the Athenian democracy diverged from a political outlook and regime in which citizens are subjected to a common good that is devoid of their own conditions of living, needs, and demands; and in which a conception of democracy, where the private invades the public sphere, where individual goods are mathematically translated into political decisions without being weighed, refined and transformed by encountering others, where citizens experience their freedom in their private lives with a deep sense of powerlessness in terms of the social dimension of their lives and macro-level political decisions.

 Political equality as a component of democracy, denotes the equal position of citizens within their collective regulation of their common life. Even though it is possible to provide a practical definition of political equality, it is not possible to speak of a consensus on its meaning and requisites. After all political equality, like other political concepts, has been shaped within the political structure and paradigm as well as the praxis of political struggle of the society, in which it has emerged. Indeed, the Ancient Athenian democracy, too, possessed a peculiar understanding of political equality and a political organization based on political equality. While putting forward a nuanced organization and a social life that offers its citizens a variety of opportunities for active political participation, the Athenian democracy represented an endeavor towards a common good that is beyond a notion of division of labor based on specialization, which is based on a face-to-face and deliberative political praxis. In that respect, the Athenian democracy diverged from a political outlook and regime in which citizens are subjected to a common good that is devoid of their own conditions of living, needs, and demands; and in which a conception of democracy, where the private invades the public sphere, where individual goods are mathematically translated into political decisions without being weighed, refined and transformed by encountering others, where citizens experience their freedom in their private lives with a deep sense of powerlessness in terms of the social dimension of their lives and macro-level political decisions.

 Etimolojik kökeni itibariyle halkın iktidarı anlamına gelen demokrasi genel olarak, yurttaşların ortak yaşamlarını kolektif olarak düzenlemelerini içermektedir. Demokrasinin bir unsuru olan siyasal eşitlik ise genel anlamıyla, yurttaşların siyasal kararların alımı sürecinde eşit konumda bulunmalarını ifade etmektedir. Bir kavram olarak genel bir somutluk içinde tanımlamak mümkünse de siyasal eşitliğin anlamı ve gerekleri üzerinde mutabakat bulunduğunu söylemek mümkün değildir. Literatür bakımından geçerli olan bu durum, demokrasi tecrübeleri hakkında da belirleyicidir. Zira demokrasi ve diğer siyasal kavramlar gibi siyasal eşitlik de içinde gerçekleştiği toplumun siyasal yapısı ve paradigması ile siyasal mücadele pratikleri bağlamında şekillenmiştir. Nitekim demokrasinin ilk örneğinin tecrübe edildiği Antik Atina demokrasisi de özgün bir siyasal eşitlik anlayışına ve siyasal eşitliğe dayandırılan incelikli bir örgütlenmeye sahip bulunmaktaydı. Atina demokratik örgütlenmesi yurttaşlara çeşitli aktif siyasal katılım olanakları sunan detaylı bir örgütlenme ve toplumsal yaşam tasarımı ortaya koyarken siyasetin uzmanlık bilgisine dayalı bir pratiğin çok ötesinde yüz yüzeliğe ve müzakereye dayalı siyasal pratik içinde oluşturulacak bir ortak iyiye yönelme anlayışını temsil etmekteydi. Bu bakımdan Atina demokrasisi bir yandan yurttaşların kendi koşul, ihtiyaç ve taleplerinden soyutlaştırılmış bir ortak iyiye tabi kılındıkları bir siyasal kavrayış ve rejimden farklıydı. Ancak diğer yandan da özel olanın kamusal alanı istila ettiği, tekil iyilerin diğerleriyle karşılaşarak tartılmadan, törpülenmeden ve dönüşmeden matematiksel olarak ortak kararlara tercüme edildiği, yurttaşların özel yaşamlarındaki serbestliklerini yaşamlarının toplumsal boyutu ve makro düzeydeki siyasal kararlar bakımından derin bir iktidarsızlık duygusu içerisinde tecrübe ettikleri bir demokrasi yaklaşımından ayrılmaktaydı. Bu kapsamda çalışmamızda Antik Atina polisinde siyasal eşitlik anlayışı ve siyasal eşitliğe dayalı örgütlenme birbiriyle bağlantılı olarak açıklanmaya çalışılacaktır.

Article Details

Political Equality in Ancient Athenian Democracy

Authors:

Omca Özdemir

Publisher:

Ahmet Arif EREN

Main Topics:

Siyasal Teori ve Siyaset Felsefesi

Journal:

Politik Ekonomik Kuram Vol.8 Issue 3, pp.601-619

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

9/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001328075

pISSN:

2587-2567

Political Equality

Democracy

Athenian PolisSiyasal Eşitlik

Demokrasi

Atina Polisi

Issues

Article Details

Political Equality in Ancient Athenian Democracy

Authors: Omca Özdemir

Publisher: Ahmet Arif EREN

Main Topics: Siyasal Teori ve Siyaset Felsefesi

Journal: Politik Ekonomik Kuram Vol.8 Issue 3, pp.601-619

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 9/2024

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001328075

pISSN: 2587-2567

Political Equality

Democracy

Athenian PolisSiyasal Eşitlik

Demokrasi

Atina Polisi

Issues

Authors:

Omca Özdemir

Publisher:

Ahmet Arif EREN

Main Topics:

Siyasal Teori ve Siyaset Felsefesi

Journal:

Politik Ekonomik Kuram Vol.8 Issue 3, pp.601-619

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

9/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001328075

pISSN:

2587-2567