More than Modus Vivendi, less than Overlapping Consensus: towards a Political Theory of Social Compromise

Abstract

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.