ABSTRACT

This chapter underscores the legacy of the Gandhian legacy of democratic thought in the Western debates on democratic theory. It seeks to understand how relevant and useful the Gandhian vision of nonviolence and democracy could be in light of the contemporary political developments around the world. In pursuit of what Gandhi called an “enlightened democracy”, it cross examines Gandhi’s reflections on the key principles of the Western liberal civilization. Highly critical of Western thinkers like Hobbes and Rousseau, Gandhi’s democratic theory tries to bring the old system of village life in tune with the democratic value of self-government. Thus, this chapter is a short exposition on how Gandhi’s ideal of democracy which brought together many of his core beliefs and arguments such as moral growth of the individual, the primacy of the spiritual in nonviolent action and the interdependence of all departments of life.