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Lecture notes Political philosophy and organization studies (431014-B-6)
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HC Political Philosophy and Organ. Studies, Emma Hamm 2078889HC Political Philosophy and Organ.
Studies
1. Why Organize? 1
2. Rawls' Principles of Justice 3
3. Feminism 6
4. The Racial Contract 11
5. Justice in a risk society 15
6. Justice at work 18
7. Michel Foucault on Power 21
8. Disciplinary Power 25
9. Neoliberalism 0
10. Expulsion 0
11. Post-Fordism 0
12. Econocracy 0
13. Platform Capitalism 0
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, HC Political Philosophy and Organ. Studies, Emma Hamm 2078889
1. Why Organize?
WHAT DO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHERS DO?
1) Political philosophy
“All activities associated with determining the governance of a particular group of people”
Any activity that determines the rules by which a group is governent
(bv; elections used to determine WHO gets to govern us)
→ Politics versus the political system
→ what do we do in politics? 2 views; Strive to Consensus / strive to conflict
→ Organization is politic (bv; who becomes the CEO, explains the rules)
(organizing people = political
2) Political philosophy
“Radical and critical reflection on the fundamentals of reality and human existence”
Radical – comes from Radix (= roots). A tree; how it appears to us. But in the roots, deeper reality
we want to access!
Going to the deeper reality by asking psychological questions
Art philosophy: what is seen as ugly or beautiful?
Moral philosophy: what is the difference between good and evil?
Two (personal) slogans of philosophy
1 - Socrates : “I know that I know nothing”
Philosophy looks for truth, and therefore we need to overcome opinions/ need to
break with the first observations, since they are false → to the roots of things
2 - Newton : “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”
If I have contributed to scientific progress, not because I’m smart, but because I
stand on the shoulders of predecessors. How have other people in the past
already thought of those subjects? (=starting point. From there dig deeper
→ Looking for a productive form of not-knowing
Even today, philosophers still ask questions like what is love
Major divide: normative theory (1) VS critical theory (2)
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, HC Political Philosophy and Organ. Studies, Emma Hamm 2078889
1) Normative theory 2) Critical theory
What is the good way of governing society?
- Political philosophy as a branch of social philosophy
- Political philosophy as a branch of moral theory - Philosopher as cartographer *
→ norms come first, than look at actual society * projectie en ontwerpt de kaart
- Philosopher as legislator and judge → far more descriptive. Start from what is the case. First
→ As a philosopher you are going outside the circle look at society. Are within society, cannot judge but you
of society and see how the society SHOULD be can map it out how society looks like from your position
organized. Forget how reality is really organized - Michel Foucault
- John Rawls
OVERVIEW LECTURES
OVERVIEW LECTURES 7) Michel Foucault on power
1) Why organize? 8) Disciplinary power
2) Rawls’s principles of justice 9) Neoliberalism
3) Feminist critiques of Rawls 10) Expulsion
4) Communitarian critiques of Rawls
5) The racial contract 11) Post-Fordism
6) The political and radical democracy 12) Econocracy
13) Platform capitalism
WHY DO PEOPLE ORGANIZE?
“One could test all theories of state and political ideas according to their anthropology and thereby classify
these as to whether they consciously or unconsciously presuppose man to be by nature evil or by
nature good. […] The problematic or unproblematic conception of man is decisive for the presupposition
of every further political consideration, the answer to the question whether man is a dangerous being or
not, a risky or a harmless creature.” – Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political
→ if we organize people (if we do politics), we have to make basic assumptions about other people.
Are other people trustworthy or not?
“Man is evil” → Thomas Hobbes
● 17th-century English philosopher
● State of nature: war of all against all. If there were no government/organization/law/..; war!
No state, no protection. You have to be caution
● Need for a strong State (to impose the law) (comes from humans inability to cooperate. State
needed to enforce cooperation)
● An absolutist State to withhold the slippage into civil war
We need someone who is responsible for enforcing the law.
→ Organization as the outcome of humankind’s inability to cooperate - need the state to enforce
cooperation.
Illustrations: The pandemic and toilet paper (law with maximum you can get), ethnic civil war
“Man is good” → Benedictus Spinoza
● 17th-century Dutch philosopher
● State of nature: spontaneous cooperation. Not in order to do so
● No need for a strong State
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, HC Political Philosophy and Organ. Studies, Emma Hamm 2078889
● The ‘multitude’ spontaneously and directly governs itself
Multitude = the mass of ordinary people without power or influence / a large number of people or
things.
→ Organization as the outcome of individuals’ spontaneous cooperation
Illustrations: The pandemic and mutual aid, Social movements (e.g. Occupy Wall Street,
climate protests)
Is man evil or good? → philosopher: I DON’T KNOW!
2. Rawls' Principles of Justice
PREVIEW; SHARING PIZZA
1 → equal
2 → merit <verdiensten> (who deserves the pizza the most?)
3 → utility <nutsvoorziening> (who will be the happiest receiving the pizza?)
SOME OBSTACLES TO REACHING A CONSENSUS ABOUT JUSTICE
What hinders agreement on justice?
1. Conflicts of interest
● Private interest versus the common good
● Social intuitionism (J. Haidt)
○ Rational arguments follow rather than precede moral beliefs
BRAIN FOOLS US; When we think we are doing something for the common
goods, but actually doing it for your private interest! People do something, after it
create moral arguments for it
Bv: abortion. You are already for/against it, after position you create arguments
○ Our conception of justice is often influenced by our social position
2. Different conceptions of the good life
● Public versus private matters
● Moral pluralism: allowing for different private conceptions of the good life
Our different notions of the good life is becoming more diverse
BV: old people huisje tuintje kindje in middle class.
→ We need a theory of justice that allows for pluralism
3. What are we trying to achieve?
● “Equal distribution of goods” (egalitarianism)?
Problem → Unfair to people who merit more + equal distribution of misery
Everyone should gets the same, but problem: some people merit it more (work bv harder)
● “Individual freedom from interference” (libertarianism)?
Problem → Inequality of opportunities + deepening inequality
Some people earn a lot more than others, so be it. Government is not going to correct the
market. Totally free market
We do not all start from an equal position. Bv a professional singer/football player –
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