Dictionnaire Constitutionnel

Authors: Duhamel & Mény
Summary: In this entry of about 1870 words the author defines pluralism as that conception of political and juridical order that privileges diversity of opinions and interests as well as plurality of political representations as liberty guarantees. In this sense, pluralism is opposed to monism, the latter advancing the idea of a unique social body, expression of a general will that pursues the common good.
According to the entry's author, pluralism represents the end of the Old Regime (i.e. uniqueness of power embodied in the sovereign) and the beginning of modernity, i.e. the fragmentation of power centres and the recognition that conflict is necessarily part of the social dynamics.
The author mentions briefly John Rawls' work but focuses more extensively on Montesquieu's Esprit De Lois and the idea of the separation of powers, on Madison's The Federalist, which contains the speculations of the founding fathers on institutional and social pluralism.
The United States, considered by A. de Tocqueville a laboratory for democracy, is the country where pluralism is most rooted. By contrast, France differs from the American model since it has transposed the concept of the general will (Rousseau) into the logic of representation. In this way, it could maintain the principle of the superiority of the law in the name of equality and of uniqueness of will while allowing exceptions such as the subordination of the executive and the judiciary to the Parliament.
The entry continues with a broad reference to French jurisprudence on pluralism.