Respect as the Default Moral Principle of a Liberal Political Community: Why Does Respect at the Essentially Political Level Not Lead to Respect at the Structural Level?

This chapter discusses the default moral principle within a liberal political community defined by the fact of pluralism. It distinguishes between the essentially political and structural levels of the liberal political community, and the default moral principle at both levels forming the liberal political community is analyzed. Although it is suggested that the principle of respect is the default moral principle at both levels, ensuring respect at the essentially political level does not imply respect at the structural level as well. The explanation is that while respect at the essentially political level takes the third-person form, respect at the structural level takes the second-person form. This substantiates how it is possible for many people to remain disrespected in the liberal political community despite political power being justified to them.