Taylor Vs. Huntington:

6 Pages 1444 Words

the politics of difference superior.
Huntington states that democracy must include two things--contestation and participation (Huntington 7). Taylor’s two divisions of democracy, the politics of equal dignity and the politics of difference, both comply with Huntington’s demands, but in different ways. The politics of equal dignity allows society as a collective group to both contest and participate in government, while the politics of difference makes exceptions to political norms so that society is not judged as a collective, but as individuals. This allows contestation and participation to be practiced by not only the overall majority, but with input from minority groups, as well.
Taylor feels that the politics of difference are very important because they include minority groups, while the politics of equal dignity rely on the collective goals of the majority. The view of the majority does not include everyone’s view,
“and in espousing this substantive outlo...