Civilizáció és stabilitás (David Hume és James Madison köztársaság-ról és pártokról vallott nézetei)
Civilization and Stability: The Ideas of David Hume and James Madison on the Republic and Factions

Summary/Abstract: Relying on Hume‟s pertaining essays and Madison‟s Tenth and Fifty-First Federalist, this essay investigates links between their views of factions in the republic. Both thinkers em-phasized the link between the size of the republic and the number of parties as well as their susceptibility to tyrannical (majority) rule. Yet, as far as details of that connection are con-cerned, the results of previous research call for reconsideration. I contend that, in the first place, it is Hume‟s association of factions with a regressive state in the process of civiliza-tion that Madison adopts, linking the rule of selfish factions with a less-developed, pre-so-cial state. In the second place, Madison makes federalism the lynchpin of his system, in fact claiming to combine features of small and large republics when it comes to represen-tation. Hume also regards his own system of the ideal republic as one based on such com-bination. Finally, I contend that moderation, a fundamental Humean principle, also in-forms Madison‟s argument about controlling factions on the national level, namely by means of the wise magistrates‟ capability of tempering public opinion. Thus Madison does not simply rely on the counterbalancing of passionate factions but also appeals to Humean self-control, a supposed result of the education of the political public.

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