Individuum und Demos

'People' is a key concept in democratic constitutions, which on closer examination appears to be peculiarly diffuse. In political discourse, it is ideologically loaded and used primarily with polemical intent—or embarrassingly avoided. This is the reflex of an unclear relationship between an individual and a community. Ultimately, it is the status of the individual itself that needs clarification. There is a difference between addressing the many as humans, as people or as individuals. Different forms of integration result from these definitions of status, and the politically virulent process of integration takes place representatively in the public sphere. This determines whether a democracy is viable in the long term.