Why Do We Need Political Theory? Flashcards
(19 cards)
Why do we need political theory when cosmologies and ideologies already exist?
can’t answer easily-serve the same purpose
need to ask some other questions
questions about human existence and collective life
pol theory-gives a long bg about who we are and the society we live in
Why do we need political theory when philosophy already exists?
(i) explains at the most general level possible
(ii) evaluates and tells us what we shoud do, speculates about current and future conditions
(iii) tells us who we are
sp function-not only needs to live, it needs to flourish
Why do we need political theory when philosophy already exists?
(i) explains at the most general level possible
(ii) evaluates and tells us what we shoud do, speculates about current and future conditions
(iii) tells us who we are
sp function-not only needs to live, it needs to flourish
What are the circumstances where we need to learn to raise questions about the world?
(i) individual/group is alienated from the rest of the community
(ii) coming of a stranger whose opaque actions cause discrepency and provoke curiousity among the community
(iii) unpredictable, natural disasters
Role of cosmologies
small communities-develop their own cosmologies in order to make a fresh sense fo the world and their place in it.
function of cosmologies-(i)help us tell a story about ourselves
(ii)tell us our relations to others&nature
(iii)make sense of the existing chaos
so, cosmologies-(i)endow meaning to what is out of control
(ii)make it harmonious w other things
(iii)bring it under some semblence of control
they inform & re fashion our common sense
Pre-Modern Western Societies
(i) universe-meaninful whole, signified something higher than humans/embodies some goal, purpose or final cause
(ii) to find fulfillment-relate to this grand designer pattern
(iii) pattern found in nature, society and the whole of the universe
(iv) pattern could be known by -revelation, grace of god or pure reason
(v) no distinction bw the human and natural world
(vi) only philosophy could answer the big questions BUT
(vii) it used the a priori method-belived in something w/out testing it/speculative largely non-empiral mode of enquiry
birth of modern sciences- 15th century
(i)nature-not meaningful
-didn’t express an idea
(ii)elements of nature-not purposeful
(iii)nature-composed of discrete things that wer independent and not related by virtue of some overall design
(iv)new way of answering questions-observation
de facto regularity=causation eg. fire -warm
(v)explanation-recorded regularity
-it explained why something happened in the past AND it could predict why it will happen in the future
(vi)NOW, reason and senses were seen as separate entities
(vii)human+nature- answered questions about the physical world
Hobbes
(i) he thought-physical world=socio historial world
(ii) BUT, later-rational enquiry of the moral world/self was impossible
(iii) theory-generalised form of explanation rooted in & dependent on data based enquiry
(iv) generalised explanations -theories of natural and social world
Fundamental Differences B/W the Human and Non-Human World
(i)natural world-independent of human beings
human world-largely constituted by & dependent on human
action
(ii)natural world- can’t ask moral & self related questions, makes
no sense
human world-normative & ethical questions are at its heart
-human action is not just explained, it is justified
Functions of Political Theory
(i)interprets & explains phenomenon of social world
philosopy is an integral part of it
helps us indentify what we wish to explain-gives conceptual
grasp of world
(ii)provies insight & understanding into general pattern of social
changes
bhikhu parekh-contemplative role
(iii)answers moral & ethical questions
raises questions, evaluates human action, probes whether
the reasons were ethical
(iv)tells us who we are
tells us about our identity and how its made
gives us metaphysical self knowledge
Distinct Functions of Political Theory
(i) general reflection-human condition on predicament of modern societies, who we are and so on
(ii) general reflection-exercise of power by those who exercise domination
(iii) study -how state power should be wielded and by whom
Explanatory Political Theory
(i) multiple explanations
(ii) no single explanations for a social phenomena
(iii) eg. theory on capitalism- karl mar & karl weber
Normative Political Theory
(i) assumption-rational arguement-must pkay a pivotal role in decision making
(ii) eg. legal guarantee for right to work and minimum wage
contemplative political theory
(i) offers better form of human conditions
(ii) hannah arendt-pol theory is a deeply contemplative enquiry into the general condition of human kind for a very long period of time or a certain stage of human existence
little theories
exclusively/implicitly emphasize on one dimension of PT
eg. Weber, Karl Marx-explanatory
Liberalism-normative
grand theories
explicitly possess all dimensions
deeply contemplative theories
distinct from cosmologies & worldview because-(i)they possess generaliyy (ii)half hearted committment (iii) speculative
eg. traditions of Marxism
Theory & Ideology
(i)both try to persuade
(ii)imp difference-pt tries to give fullest possible reason
-ideology lacks committment, reason is short
circuited, principle=formulae.
eg,nationalism, fascism & liberlism and marxist
ideologies
(iii) case of liberal & marxist ideologies
(iv) HOWEVER, grand theories, cosmologies & ideologies-share one function- formulate a common understanding of the wrold & provide a common normative orientation-provide a cmoon self definition & identity
distinction between theory & cosmology
(i) cosmologies are local & too tightly tied to context. in the modern world, contexts interact, intersect and inter communicate. so cosmologies will not do. theories, however, possess inter contextual generality.
(ii) rational structure emmbedded in theories offer hope towards resolution of the most significant differences between us
(iii) cosmologies-emnated a single authoritative source. however, that’s not the case in modern societies. there is no longer one locus of authority
Why do we need a theory on how power is really exercises & how it should be used?
(i) modernity disperses communities & conncects societies. disparate but related phenomena to be brought together under a general rubric to give us a satisfactiory knowledge of them,
(ii) modern pt tells us what we need to do & in the light of which values
