Popolo e opinione pubblica nel liberalismo elitistico-tecnocratico di Walter Lippmann

The aim of the article is to show that the liberal conception of people and public opinion elaborated by Walter Lippmann, is based on different principles of classic idea of democracy. The presuppositions of Lippmann's conception are the impossibility of common citizens to know how to lead the public affairs and the consequent necessity to delegate to an organization of experts the function to support the government based on popular consense. Moving from the analysis of the formation of the public opinion, Lippmann observes that the common citizens can't have a direct knowledge of social reality, because the great part of the events happen out of their vision, so the knowledge of social environment is often indirect and it's conditioned by few subjects, social and institutional, which control the media.

Furthermore a part of public opinion doesn't have the necessary education to understand the social problems and the consequent political decisions and it's very difficult that the citizens may devote enough time to the problems of the public life. These are some of the main causes of the formation of a common sense of stereotypes and symbols, which often don't represent the reality. On these bases Lippmann elaborates a critique to the democratic idea and the purpose of elitist concept of government to defend the public interest and the individual rights. [Publisher's text].