«Демократический реализм» Уолтера Липпмана
“Democratic Realism” by Walter Lippmann

Summary/Abstract: The article attemptes to reconstruct the formation of the worldview of the American political thinker Walter Lippmann at the stage of the formation of the concept of “democratic realism”. The author explores various aspects of Lippmann’s “democratic realism”. First, presents the analysis of theoretical justification by the thinker of the idea of limited democracy. The polemical position of the philosopher John Dewey on “democratic realism” more clearly represents Lippmann’s critical position on the basic foundations of classical democracy. The author of the article concludes that the basis of Lippmann’s “democratic realism” is the skeptical attitude of the thinker to the human nature. Secondly, presents the analysis of the influence of the elitological theories of I. Babbitt, J. Santayana, R. Michels and G. Mosca on the formation and development of Lippmann’s “democratic realism”, especially on his concept of expertocracy. In this matter, Lippmann, despite the risk to fall into authoritarianism, which some classics elitology thinkers did not escape, remained true to the american political tradition, which focuses on the inviolability of economic freedom of the individual, to protect free market relations. The author concludes that Lippmann’s “democratic realism” was the concept of rationalizing a democratic political process based on the authority of intellectuals and experts, on the principles of hierarchy and order, while preserving individual freedom, and opposing collectivism, idealism and radicalism in politics.

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