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Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy exam notes part 1
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CPP literature summaryWEEK 1. Introduction: Contemporary political philosophy 1. WHAT IS POLITICAL THEORY TODAY?
Lecture 1 notes
Part 1 (Dryzek 2011)
- Theory
- Political theory
- Contemporary political theory: a story of expansion
Part 2 (Freeden 2014)
- Political theory and ideology: 4 options
- Political theory and ideology: 6 differences
- The dominant ideology
- Conclusion
Theory
It depends on research aim research question
1. Descriptive – what are the facts?
2. Explanatory – why these facts?
3. Evaluative – are they good/bad?
4. Predictive – what will/would happen?
5. Prescriptive – what should be done?
Objection
Normative theory, isn’t that just a matter of personal opinion? Is not science about facts rather than
values? (= positivism). So, what is the status of normative theory? Avoid two extremes:
- Dogmatism: truth is objective, given and it is evident, obvious
- Subjectivism/extreme relativism: truth is subjective, depends on preference. Truth is relative,
depends on context/culture.
- Constructivism: most common approach today
,CPP literature summary
Constructivism
1. Start at more or less universal intuitions. For example: slavery is bad; private property is good
2. Define the underlying values, try to articulate this two in terms of values. For instance,
human dignity, equality, freedom
3. Formulate principles. For instance, humans are not property; slavery is immoral.
4. Translate these principles into practical judgments. For instance, abolish slavery; compensate
owners?
5. Adjust a reflective equilibrium; tensions between 1,2,3,4 resolved they are in balance.
Any normative limits to normative theory?
- You cannot get anywhere from nowhere
- Very basic agreement on intuition is needed
o Slavery is great would a non-starter – for most people, this is not okay and will not
engage.
- There will always remain reasonable disagreement
- Normative theories are proposals or invitations, they are never the final answer, for instance,
inviting or proposing voting right to be given to prisoners.
,CPP literature summary
Political theory
Moral – political philosophy
The border line is difficult to separate between moral philosophy x Political philosophy
Critiques of ‘’political realism’’: political philosophy (including liberalism) is too moralistic. It should
not be ‘’applied ethic’’, but a-moral. Morality has not so much to do with political philosophy as you
think.
Position of political theory (a sub theme of political science) based on Dryzek et al. 2011
Political science/Social science: Positivist vs. Prescriptivist Cohabitation
History: textualism vs. contextualism
Philosophy: analytical/ideal vs. non ideal/realist.
Political theory and ideology: 4 options
, CPP literature summary
Political Theory and ideology: 6 differences (based on Freeden. 2004)
Asymmetry between political theory and ideology
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