ABSTRACT
The Introduction begins with a brief reference to the current importance of majority tyranny in democratic theory. It then analyzes the components of the term: outlining five possible dimensions along which “majority” may be classified (its boundaries, proportions, temporality, ontological status, national or supranational nature); adding three fundamental – and fundamentally different – definitions of “tyranny” (self-interested rule, infringement of rights, undivided power). Since the combination of the former allows for hundreds of definitions, any reasonable discussion should start with the historical formation of the concept and limit itself to the actual repercussions explicitly mentioned by anti-majoritarian authors. The conclusion is that even if the exact formula is not found in political literature before the eighteenth century, and its theoretical refutation began almost as early as it was created, the tyranny of those who speak in the name of the majority remains a reality to cope with in the twenty-first century.
