2004
Volume 45, Issue 3
  • ISSN: 0167-2444
  • E-ISSN: 2949-8651

Abstract

Abstract

This paper examines Viktor Orbán’s illiberalism through the lens of Fukuyama’s concept of thymos, expanded upon with insights from Carl Schmitt’s thought. Schmitt and modern illiberals argue that the liberal democratic notion of equality fails to create sufficient societal cohesion to form a representative demos or legal framework. Using Fukuyama’s terminology, the modern illiberal aims to rehabilitate thymos as a political determinant, rejecting the possibility of achieving it through isothymia, the liberal pursuit of equality. Fukuyama praises liberal democracy for pacifying politics by neutralizing megalothymia and elevating isothymia. Illiberals, however, see this compromise as ineffective. Schmitt’s critiques, aligned with Orbán’s views, suggest that liberalism renders political unity defenseless and hypocritical. This paper provides insight into how and why an illiberal logic prioritizes collective identity over liberal equality, urging liberals to craft a stronger ideological response to rising illiberal movements globally.

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