Full Idea
There is no democracy without respect for irreducible singularity, but there is no democracy with the 'community of friends' without the calculation of majorities, without identifiable representable subjects, all equal.
Gist of Idea
Democracy needs respect for individuality, but the 'community of friends' implies strict equality
Source
Hugo Grotius (On the Law of War and Peace [1625]), quoted by Simon Glendinning - Derrida: A Very Short Introduction 7
Book Reference
Glendinning,Simon: 'Derrida: a Very Short Intro' [OUP 2011], p.90
A Reaction
[source not given] Derrida calls this conflict 'tragic'. The obvious reply is that equality is not an absolute. We can be equal in voting rights while being unequal in height or musical talent.