МАРГИНАЛИЈЕ Y3 ЛУКИНЕВО СХВАТАЊЕ ЈАВНОГ МНЕЊА
MARGINALIA TO LUKIC'S CONCEPTION OF PUBLIC OPINION

Summary/Abstract: Among many issues and phenomena treated in his scientific work, professor Radomir Lukić deals with the problem of public opinion too. In a short study published in Serbo-Croat and English languages at the beginning of the seventies, professor Lukić made a theoretical-sociological analysis of this phenomenon. While determining the notion of public opinion, he particularly analyzes two relevant essential elements, namely: public and opinion. The opinion consists of judgments related to values and judgments related to reality concerning those facts which are not precisely determined. He conceives the element of public in 'three ways, wherefrom three different meanings of the term »public opinion«, namely three kinds of that phenomenon (public in the sense of a public matter — as contrasted to private one; publicly exposed opinion as contrasted to the secret one, namely, official, free and semi-official opinion; and finally, Lukić makes the distinction of the public opinion as the opinion of a group as contrasted to the individual one). Lukić's precise and elaborated analysis is correct, but it should be supplemented by still another theoretical and practically relevant distinction — institutionalized and spontaneous public opinion. This distinction, according to the author of this article, is rather significant for the Yugoslav situation, i.e. public opinion dynamics, since it could discover the problems of functioning of the system. At issue here is the way of achieving the balance between these two forms of opinion, since that balance is essential for the realization of democratic and self-management characteristics of society. The role of emancipated press is also significant in this sphere.

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