Rather than attempting to wholly eliminate conflict in the political, which agonistic pluralists maintain is conceptually impossible, agonistic pluralism is the model of democracy which attempts to mobilize these passions "towards the promotion of democratic designs." Agonistic pluralists emphasize how the construction of group identities relies on a continuous "other"; this us/them conflict is inherent to politics, and it should be the role of democratic institutions to mitigate such conflicts.
Agonistic pluralism does not strive for total conflict eradication in politics, as agonistic pluralists view this as conceptually unattainable. Instead, it focuses on leveraging these passions "to promote democratic goals." Agonistic pluralists highlight that the creation of group identities relies on a continuous "other," and such conflicts are inherent to politics; therefore, democratic institutions should address these divisions.