Two important French philosophers and political thinkers of our time, Alain Badiou and Marcel Gauchet, "cross swords". Badiou defends the relevance of the communist proposition, what he calls the "communist hypothesis". Gauchet pays tribute to parliamentary democracy, reminding of its virtues while emphasizing the urgent need for deep reforms in its institutions and functions. A fruitful discussion, at times captivating, with sharpness but also humor from both sides. In this dialogue, moderated by Martin Duru and Martin Legros (editors of Philosophie Magazine), the two interlocutors, although expressing completely different political views and representing different schools of political thought, do not hesitate to ultimately agree on certain points.

With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many rushed to announce that liberal democracy had definitively "defeated" communism. However, these final judgments are already partially being questioned. Is parliamentary democracy merely a servant of capitalism or does it always maintain its autonomy? Are there opportunities to expand the boundaries of its deepening or is its future uncertain and precarious?

Does globalization have only negative consequences or perhaps it is also a positive development, especially for less developed countries and regions of the planet? Are there opportunities for reforms capable of renewing liberal parliamentary democracy and putting a barrier to the largely unrestrained capitalism of our days? Is there an alternative proposal against the current order of things? Does the age-old dilemma of "reform or revolution?", which has already had about a hundred and fifty years of existence, always remain on the agenda?