How can we define democracy today given the continuous changes that modern societies are undergoing?What is the role of a democratic theorist? This paper articulates a threefold argument in responding to these questions by analyzing the term of democracy in vitro, in vivo, and in actu. The first step is tosecure a democratic minimum and the core principles of democracy. The second step involves studying democracy as an ongoing project and examininghow the principles of this democratic minimum are encoded. In thethird stepwe deploy the basic premises of discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe when evaluating a specific discourse of democracy, as this approachencompasses both discursive and non discursive practices.Utilizing this three-level evaluative framework for democratic theory will allow us to not only articulate normative principles but also evaluate them according to their mode of implementation. Keywords: democratic minimum, democratic theory, democracy, representation