Progressive movement of the institutionalization of political reason

Abstract

Political philosophy literature rarely reconstructs the historical development of the institutionalization of political reason systematically. An analytical gap remains in understanding how different traditions addressed the challenge of protecting collective decisions from passions and arbitrariness. Through a qualitative literature review of classical works, this study revisits the historical construction of mechanisms aimed at producing more rational and just decisions. The analysis reveals a progressive movement of rationalization: a transition from virtue-centered conceptions of rulers to institutional models based on the limitation of power, separation of functions, and institutional self-restraint. It concludes that the rationality of collective decisions depends fundamentally on building institutions capable of structuring and limiting the exercise of political power in pluralistic societies.