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History of political thought UvA Lecture notes
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- Universiteit Van Amsterdam (UvA)
Lecture notes History of political thought
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Feb. 4, 2021Lecture #2 - Plato
PLATO’S MODEL OF CITIES
A heuristic to visualize justice - the analogy between macro & micro, macro composed of micro.
∴ qualities of a state are rooted in qualities of the individuals → methodological individualism
(but political morality is still anti-individual)
* Normative models, what ought to be.
Plato’s view on human nature common in BOTH cities.
Characterized by innate differences, largely heritable by chance. (eugenics)
Division of labor reflects or should reflect differences & the natural hierarchy:
- Symmetrical hierarchy for male & females, best women = best men & vice-versa
Identification & connection between nature & goodness or value.
∴ Law & social institutions should produce identification of nature w/ goodness.
1. City of pigs / True city (libertarian / anarchist regime)
An extensive division of labor - human specialization BUT no political or normative consequences.
- Based on Plato’s account of human nature: naturally different w/ different aptitudes &
hierarchically differentiated. (natural hierarchy has no class consequence)
Based on trade, internal & external - generating surplus of goods & leisure time.
- Monetized economy, egalitarian (no slaves), famine free, pacific, property-owning, minimal
state structure.
- Population regulated based on surplus ∴ no luxury consumption, no status-enhancing.
NO philosophy (+ no education of passions → a problem of disunity), NO organized religion but
joyful religion, NO luxury, NO arts.
2. Kallipolis / Lovely city
Functional organization & division of classes (for the flourishing of society):
State & class divisions: Tripartite soul (mind/psychology):
Guardians → = rulers = → Rational part
Auxiliaries → = soldiers = → Spirited part
Workers → = economy = → Apetite/desiring part
* everyone has a mixture of 3 parts but % of each part differs x person/class.
,Ordering of state comes from top-down, relies on CIVIC RELIGION not use of force.
¡Cave analogy!
Function to create political & social unity/order
+ censorship prevent the spread of disorderly ideas
+ use of ‘noble lies’
+ extensive education & socialization program to indoctrinate
= Shared narratives, history, symbols, civic festivals… create linguistic & national identity
Promotes conception of social unity, truth & goodness
Informs content & structure of society’s institutions (the state apparatus must uphold civic religion)
Masses are incapable of understanding the truth of political life
∴ they rely on images & rhetoric from the state
Rationalized Pan-Hellenic, Greek religion → cleansed of the immorality of anthropomorphism
CENSORSHIP - the banishment of poets (the main form of entertainment), regulation of
children’s songs & educational practices.
NOBEL LIES - function to promote ‘willingness to die for own country’, dedication to
national identity indoctrinated w/ the use of mythical origin stories → defend the survival of the state.
Only for this particular purpose (end justifies the means), the lie which is at the core of the state is
used to uphold it for the good of society.
BUT creates a permanent temptation for expert-rule/paternalism.
EDUCATION - the perfection of one’s nature, BUT bad education can make one worse.
Regardless of class everyone educated to their full capacity = Meritocratic
Not delivery of specific content instead aims to create orientation towards the good.
LAW/FORCE - aims to engineer the benefit of the whole city/society (does not exist solely
to benefit one class). Not just force also use of persuasion & compulsion to create → harmony
∴ Each class shares its contribution to the community w/ other classes.
State binds the city together = cooperative project for mutual benefit,
bc law benefits all w/ aim for union (not neutral)
The substantive conception of the good.
* All of society’s institutions play a central role in the perfection of human nature.
,Philosopher’s rule:
- Would be philosophers/rues can be born in any state good or bad (nature)
- Philosophy as an addictive skill/practice which makes them disinclined to rule, less desire for
political participation/power (best suited to rule, least likely to want to)
Reasons to force philosophers to rule & become philosopher-kings:
1. Consequentialist argument - should require the sacrifice of a small class & their benefits for
the benefit of society (it must show they would contribute to a positive outcome of society)
2. Constraint - only be compelled by the state if you have benefitted from it or its institutions.
∴ In a badly ordered state, from which people do not benefit, the state had no legitimacy to compel &
consequentialist argument has no force.
Presupposes a tacit contract between state & citizen
The state provides goods → state can ask you to give back
+ Citizens must be capable of doing what the contract presupposes from them bc cannot compel
actions that one cant do. (built-in claims about what is feasible for the given agent/actor)
Not arbitrary totalitarianism.
JUSTICE
= harmonizing & adapting citizens to each other to put them in a functionally suitable place.
(role of law is to achieve this form of justice)
COMMUNISM (of rulers & soldiers)
If they are allowed to accumulate property, ↑ incentive to abuse their power
→ They must be kept poor & in communism btw each other BUT common workers can
accumulate property (gentry surplus). Rich may be politically subordinate to the poor ruler class.
+ Communism is extended to marriage ~ abolishment of marriage, wives freed from traditional
marriage duties so they can be soldiers & rulers. (The sexual division of labor abolished
among the ruling class.)
∴ Rather than money or property as a form of status symbol, the class is honored w/ status &
festivals. (Recognition as the main incentive)
, PLATONIC EUGENICS
Advocates for a ‘positive breeding program’ to maintain a strong soldier/ruling class & a matching
program within the ruling class w/ (rigged) lottery for mate selection.
+ ‘negative abortion program’ letting die of unwanted weak & birth-defected children of all classes.
BUT imperfect outcomes of the program will cause the decline of the state.
PLATONIC FEMINISM
= denies natural & moral equality of human beings BUT supports that privileges & obligations given
to leading men must also be granted to leading women who possess the same qualities.
* Plato believes in innate differences (largely heritable, that reflect natural hierarchy) & are distributed
symmetrically among genders.
Feb. 9, 2021
Lecture #3 - Al-Farabi
AL-GHAZALI vs AL-FARABI & IBN RUSHD
Al-Ghazali - Persian theologist, Jurist & Stuffi (mystic), of Islam’s “Golden Age” - the confusion
Represents mainstream orthodox Islamic thought.
3 Sins of philosophers:
1. At the last judgment, only immaterial souls are rewarded & punished, there is no resurrection
of the body (influence mortality/law on earth)
2. God only knows universals and not individuals
3. The world is eternal (no creation)
→ Heretical claims to Islam
Political theology: the ways in which theological concepts or ways of thinking relate to politics.
+ Whenever politics relies on ontology, metaphysics or claim on the nature of reality,
POLITICAL HISTORY OF ISLAM
Muhammed CA 570-632
Quran & Hadith (reports on his life) = Sharia/Revelation, Devine Law
+ Fiqh - Jurisprudence & analogical resoning (human law)
Developed through consensus of 4 schools of jurisprudence, in the 9th century
* At Mohammed’s death the Arab peninsula was united.
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