APPROACHES AND ISSUES IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

e-International Relations (online), 2012

Ethical Perspectives, 2016

ethical perspectivesjune 2016 and with considerable insight. Their book would be particularly valuable for students of political philosophy. Curiously both authors operate out of a John Rawlsian perspective. John A. Dick Leuven Andrew Fiala (ed.). The Bloomsbury Companion to Political Philosophy. London: Bloomsbury, 2015. 288 pp. This book has an ambitious goal: "[...] to offer an overview of the field [of political philosophy] and the depth of the issues" (2). The collection is aimed at postgraduate students, scholars and libraries, and includes a number of interesting companions: Philosophy of Mind (386 pp.), Philosophy of Science (475 pp.), Continental Philosophy (417 pp.), in addition to Companions to Aristotle (418 pp.), Kant (432 pp.), Hume (447 pp.), etc. Most are very useful and some even mandatory references. Unfortunately, this volume falls short of such an ambition. It certainly does not help that it is by far the shortest in the collection, at little more than 250 pages, considering the pervasive nature of the political problems it faces and the 2500 years during which political philosophy has occupied some of the world's best minds. The volume is composed of a set of fourteen essays, a small glossary (227-254), a brief chronology (223-225) and a suggestion of 'research resources' (255-258). Contrary to expectations, the first essay, on the history of political philosophy, authored by James Alexander, is not an overview of the history of political philosophy, but a mere ten-page discussion of the respective roles of history and theory. The essay arrives at the commonsensical conclusion that "If philosophy without history is a desert, and history without philosophy is a jungle, then we certainly need something of both" (16); that is, in the end, the history of political philosophy "[...] is not political philosophy, but political philosophy is nothing without it" (30). The author, however, takes the rather shallow view that all political philosophy is but an "[...] attempt to respond to the world," so we are not assured of its real perennial philosophical value, except maybe seeing it as predecessor to current political ideas. After serving old masters such as polis, or to empire, church or state, only "[...] in the twentieth century, there were attempts to define politics (or the category of 'the political') as something in itself" (19). If the book begins with the past, the final essays go from contemporary theory to a prediction of future political philosophy. This is part of the design of the Companion series, where the last two essays are supposed to present a vision of the possible future of the subject matter. The last essays are quite original, at least in their basic ideas. Mathew Voorhees and J. Jeremy Wisnewski "[...] analyze the publication record of six leading journals" (200) over 20 years to offer the informed guess that we should expect more work on global politics (202), inclusion (203) and democratic theory (203-204), the continuing presence of 'the Rawls industry' (204), and some new applied ethical-political problems (gender studies, etc.). Eduardo Mendieta writes the final essay on some of these 'trendy' subjects. 99037_Eth_Persp_2016-2_08_Bookreview.indd 350 30/05/16 13:40 brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by Universidade do Minho: RepositoriUM 99037_Eth_Persp_2016-2_08_Bookreview.indd 351 30/05/16 13:40

Critical Studies

Exploring the humanistic intellectual ideas, one should first of all get acquainted with the different methodological approaches, for which some authors are the exemplars in reality. This is true for explorers in the domain of political thought, especially the one who are interested in hermeneutical methodological approaches. They would surely find Quentin Skinner’s approach towards the author-context hermeneutical methodology (applied in The Foundations of Modern Political Thought) very interesting. Due to its author’s unique methodological approach towards understanding features of political thought, the publication has been considered as one of most influential texts in the contemporary academic exploration in political thought. Indeed, the author, Quentin Skinner, not only provides valuable information about the how-ness of development of modern political thought, but also makes evaluation of his author-context hermeneutical methodology possible. Reviewing the book’s features, including the shape and content, the present study attempts to critically explore the methodological foundations and different aspects of Skinner’s author-context hermeneutics, and thus, evaluate The Foundations of Modern Political Thought.

Contemporary Political Theory, 2003

The idea for this book came when Swift had read that British prime minister, Tony Blair, had contacted Sir Isaiah Berlin, Professor of Social and Political Theory at Oxford (before his death in 1997), to ask him about his famous distinction between negative and positive liberty. The question was posed in the context of developing ways of thinking about how New Labour could draw upon ideas from the liberal tradition. The text sets out to explain what the fundamental tenets of political philosophy are, focussing upon four core themes: social justice, liberty, equality and community, acknowledging that other important concepts (authority, obligation, democracy, power) had to be left out. The approach is analytical and the format highly accessible for the student or non-specialist. Swift starts with the claim that 'politics is a confusing business' and that we need political philosophy for clarification of important values and issues. Philosophers want to know what we mean in order to reach conclusions about whether a statement is true, which is done by 'thinking hard' about all the reasons why something may be true as well as untrue. Swift contrasts his approach to postmodern claims (identified as another philosophical position), that there is no such thing as 'truth' and that reason itself is always socially constructed leaving it to the readers to judge whether analytical philosophy 'is indeed worth doing' (p. 4). He is not providing a history of political philosophy he describes as 'fascinating and important' because it is not what matters to him (p. 4). Swift identifies political philosophy as philosophy about politics and he ultimately identifies it as a branch of moral philosophy. He conventionally identifies 'the political' with the State (specifically the liberal democratic state) and is concerned with the central questions of how the state should act, what moral principles should guide its conduct towards its own citizens? and what sort of social order does it create? (p. 5). The first part of the book is about justice, clarifying between 'concepts' and 'conceptions' whilst foregrounding Hayek vs social justice, Rawls: justice as fairness, Nozick: justice as entitlement and the justice as desert position. The chapter on liberty outlines three distinctions between conceptions of liberty (effective vs formal freedom, freedom as autonomy vs freedom as doing what you want, and freedom as political participation vs freedom from participation in politics). The chapter

2009

Political Philosophy

The most recent addition to the Fundamentals of Philosophy Series, Political Philosophy is a concise yet thorough and highly engaging introduction to the essential problems of the discipline. Organized topically and presented in a straightforward manner by an eminent political philosopher, A. John Simmons, it investigates the nature and basis of political authority and the structure and organization of political life. Each chapter focuses on a central problem, considers how it could be addressed, and outlines the various philosophical positions surrounding it. Covering both historical and contemporary work, this unique text offers a survey of major concepts and debates while also reflecting the author's views and contributions. Accessible to novices yet also useful for advanced students, Political Philosophy presents a unified and accessible portrait of the issues that have been puzzling political philosophers for years. La más reciente adición a la serie Fundamentos de Filosofía, Filosofía Política es una introducción concisa pero completa y muy atractiva a los problemas esenciales de la disciplina. Organizado por temas y presentado de forma directa por un eminente filósofo político, A. John Simmons, investiga la naturaleza y el fundamento de la autoridad política y la estructura y organización de la vida política. Cada capítulo se centra en un problema central, considera cómo podría abordarse y esboza las diversas posturas filosóficas que lo rodean. Abarcando tanto trabajos históricos como contemporáneos, este texto único ofrece una panorámica de los principales conceptos y debates, al tiempo que refleja las opiniones y aportaciones del autor. Accesible para los principiantes, pero también útil para los estudiantes avanzados, Filosofía política presenta un retrato unificado y accesible de las cuestiones que llevan años desconcertando a los filósofos políticos.

, and by appointment Catalog Description A survey of political thought from the ancient world to the modern day. Includes examination of Plato, Machiavelli, Locke, and Marx. About the Course Political philosophy explores the nature and justification of government. It includes considerations of forms of political systems, the relationship between the individual and society, and ideals such as liberty, equality, justice, and individual rights. This course provides an introduction to some major political philosophers from various traditions of political thought. Much of the course will focus on the liberal political tradition of Western thought along with its significant critics (note that the use of liberalism here refers to a broad philosophical philosophy grounded in the ideals of liberty and equality. This usage is distinct from the meaning the term "liberal" has acquired in contemporary American politics). We will begin with examination of the historical development of Western political thought and roots of liberal theory. We will then turn to contemporary discussions of liberalism before examining some recent challenges to it and alternative theoretical approaches. We will encounter a number recurring themes, including the limits and justification of political authority, the role of private property, the permissibility of political resistance or revolution, limits on individual liberty, the scope of pluralism, tolerance of religion, and the significance of morality in the political system.

Introductory lectures on Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

DESCRIPTION This graduate seminar will give a philosophical grounding in the normative concepts that guide political theory. We will examine the origin and justification of basic concepts such as freedom and autonomy, equality and social justice, crime and punishment, coercion and authority of the state. We will look for the origins of concepts and principles in two sources: Nature and right (and law). Part I will be devoted to political theorists who ground their political concepts in nature, naturalized norms, and power: Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, and Nietzsche. We begin with the pessimistic moral psychology lying at the basis of Machiavelli and Hobbes's political writings on power and sovereignty. Among the topics we will examine: What motivates people? Do people naturally tend toward doing evil? Are they unavoidably and inherently selfish and self-interested? Other topics will include autonomy and expressive unity with nature in Rousseau; Rousseau's account of natural inequalities in a state of nature; and his account of how our psychologies in a pre-political state of nature underwent development in the political sphere. Problems arise, however, from placing natural norms at the basis of political theory. If people are inherently and unavoidably self-interested, as these political theorists think, this will effect the kinds of safeguards and checks that need to be in place to protect people from each other. Their pessimism about human nature results making political life essentially coercive. This paradox that people need to be " forced " to be free will be a continuing theme throughout our discussions. Does the state the right have to coerce humans to do what is right, in accordance with universal principles of right and freedom? Or do these unwanted implications mean we have the wrong psychological profile of human nature? Next, we look to ways that philosophers have sought to remedy problems arising on the natural approach. By contrast, Part II looks to a rational origin for political principles. We'll examine how Kant, Hegel, and Marx derive their norms out of considerations about right and law. Some basic questions will arise in connection with concerns about freedom, individual freedom, and coercion: What is a person? Does a concept of a person limit what you can do to them? Do persons have intrinsic rights, like dignity, or is this something acquired (earned)? Is their right to live free something they can lose or give up? The transition to right and law raises problems of its own, such as: Is a bias toward rationality detrimental to individualistic self-realization and self-expression? Are authoritative models of the state detrimental to individual freedom?