ABSTRACT - I make a distinction between living in a democracy and living a democratic life. This distinction reflects the distinction made by Amartya Sen between institutional theories of justice (such as Rawls‘ theory) and a realization based theories, such as his and Nussbaum‘s capability approach. Drawing on ideas from Hume, I then specify certain conditions that I refer to as circumstances of democracy. These circumstances are conditions that make democracy necessary and condition that make it possible. I then consider different theories of democracy according to both structural features and their field of application. These distinctions should help us understand better both democratic demands in different realms of life and to criticize more acutely certain features of contemporary politics and society. Finally, these distinction have clear consequences for our understanding of democratic education.