| New Social Democrats |
About Us
Citizen Activists
Workers-Professionals
Public Scholars Elected Officials Contact Us Books Blogs Subscribe-Donate Home |
Logon
Members Research | |
|
| |||
|
Political Philosophy Web Research
Sovereign Power, Bare Life and Oikonomia 2/12/2009 (4958) Giorgio Agamben - Article : An interview with Giorgio Agamben on a conference on Walter Benjamin. This deals with Foucault, 'oikonomia' and the origins of modern economic concepts which can influence the idea of 'free society'. It's Not Going to Be OK 2/8/2009 (322) Chris Hedges - Article: The economic crisis could plunge the U.S. into a long period of social instability. Our democracy is in peril. Sheldon Wolin discussed here. A Critique of Interest Group Liberalism 11/11/2008 (905) Alex Schmidt - Article : A review of 'The End of Liberalism' by Theodore J. Lowi which presented a powerful argument against one form of liberalism. Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism 10/16/2008 (219) Chalmers Johnson - Article: A new, comprehensive diagnosis of our failings as a democratic polity by one of our most seasoned and respected political philosophers, Sheldon Wolin. Carl Schmitt Politics: Divide Americans from One Another 9/12/2008 (283) Ed Knudson - Article: The ideas of this German political theorist are being expressed in Republican political practice today. Multitude: Philosophy for the Future? 3/15/2005 (128) Charie Bertsch - Review: Review of the Multitude by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, and Time for Revolution by Negri. Governing Citizens: Genealogy, Critique, Politics 12/22/2004 (472) Reprint: Engin F. Isin presented a course on Foucault in 2003 at York University. What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets 11/22/2004 (159) Comment: Michael J. Sandel delivered the Tanner Lectures on Human Values at Brasenose College, Oxford, on May 11 and 12, 1998. Tanner Lectures are Great Resource 11/20/2004 (133) WebLink: Here is a link to some very substantive lectures on human values. Robert Kennedy on Aeschylus 10/4/2004 (770) Comment: He who learns must suffer. Society Does Not Need God? 10/2/2004 (314) Ed Knudson - Article: Mark Lilla has written about philosopher Leo Strauss, so loved by neoconservatives. His views are here contrasted with Martin Luther. The View from the Other: Redefining Liberalism 7/30/2004 (346) Ed Knudson - Article : John Kerry is refusing to be defined by his opponents in his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president. A New Focus on Public Sociology 4/5/2004 (333) Article : Public sociology is discussed at the Sociologists without Borders website. Transcending the Liberal-Conservative Divide 1/14/2004 (373) Comment : John Halpin, Research Director of the Center for American Progress, speaks of basic progessive values and traditions. The Woods as Commons: The Secret History of the Magna Carta 9/11/2003 (367) Peter Sinebaugh - Article : Peter Linebaugh writes about the secret history of the Magna Carta. Max Weber and National Socialism 5/28/2003 (1084) Leslie Carr - Article : The role of the sociologist, Max Weber, in the Evangelical-Social Congress in Germany is discussed here. The End of History and American Empire 3/31/2003 (942) Francis Fukuyama - Article : The 1989 article which led to the book 'The End of History' so popular among neoconservatives. George Will Promotes Ideology Not Policy 7/15/2002 (477) Article : Leading columnist preaches Milton Friedman dogma; better to recall John Kennth Galbraith. What is Enlightenment? 6/29/2002 (423) Michel Foucault - Reprint : Famous text by Michel Foucault, 1978. The Unrest is Growing: Habermas in Iran 6/22/2002 (698) Jurgen Habermas - Reprint : Interview with Jurgen Habermas on his visit to Iran. The Mode of Information: Poststructuralism and Social Context 6/7/2002 (334) Ed Knudson - Article: Review of a book by Mark Poster. Cornel West Goes to Princeton 4/13/2002 (679) Comment : Black studies professor changes institutions American National Pride 10/19/2001 (509) Richard Rorty - Comment : The grandson of Walter Rauschenbush, Richard Rorty, wants to recapture the national heritage. Violence and Justice in a Global Age 10/18/2001 (334) David Held - Comment : A philosophical response to 9/11. |
Political Philosophy Section
(See also the Philosophical Profiles and Historical Documents Sections) It has become necessary in our day and time for everyone to think more about their political views rather than just shout about them. The nasty thing about political conservatives these days is that they have declared that politics is war, not debate. Conservatives believe they stand for principles but then don't want to think about them, they want to engage in cultural wars. This is a contradiction with old conservatism which was quite open to thinking. In fact, the idea of "conserving a past" which can be helpful to the present and future is a fundamental value of what we here call social democracy. Historical interpretation of the way humans have thought about political philosophy is an important aspect of the project of this website. Such thinking can guide formation of practical ideas and inspire realistic hope for the future. At this website we will explore various philosophical and scientific approaches to understanding the world. The disciplines of sociology, anthropology, political theory and, especially, history, are crucially important for understanding political options and practice today. One of the most important current political theorists is German thinker Jurgen Habermas (photo at top). His works have elaborated an emphasis on "civil society" as a key factor to consider in political philosophy along with economy and polity. His focus on language and "communicative competence" can be helpful to understanding how politics works. He is one of the few philosophers who actually wants to try to redeem the Enlightenment promise for liberal democracy. Social Critical Theory of the Frankfurt Institute provides the intellectual background of Habermas. Another key figure of that school of thought is Walter Benjamin who remains a figure of great interest in much contemporary philosophy. One source of information about Benjamin is the Walter Benjamin Research Syndicate.  At this site we also are interested in the philosophical orientation known as postmodernism, including the French philosopher Michel Foucault (photo to right). Foucault is controversial for a number of reasons, including the charge against postmodernism in general that it results in a complete moral relativity. But Foucault studied specific modern institutions such as pyschiatry and sexuality, the medical clinic, the prison, and government itself. His work results in a critique of "power/knowledge" as manifested in contemporary professions. His idea of "pastoral power," that modern government has taken over responsibility to care for the whole life of each individual, as the church understood itself in Medieval times, is worthy to consider in rethinking social policy today, more as a critique than an affirmation. Here is an interesting quote from Foucault: "I dream of the intellectual destroyer of evidence and universalities, the one who, in the inertias and constraints of the present, locates and marks the weak points, the openings, the lines of power, who incessantly displaces himself, doesn't know exactly where he is heading nor what he'll think tomorrow because he is too attentive to the present." The concept of a "free society" at this website is partly stimulated by Foucault's provocative notion of "the practice of liberty." Freedom is not just an abstract principle but also a life practice. How can it be realized in practical terms for people today? Habermas and Foucault are viewed as antagonists but it is the conversation between them that might be most helpful to formation of a compelling political philosophy today. That effort is important since conservative philosophy from people like Leo Strauss and even Carl Schmitt, the German political philosopher whose work helped make the Nazi movement intellectually legitimate, has become of more interest today. Neoconservatism as a philosophical orientation takes its bearings from such folks. And it is the neoconservatives who were able to insert themselves into important political and governmental positions in the Bush administration, leading to such catastrophes as the Iraq war. So, philosophy is not dead, it is very important in today's world. We will be encouraging people to work on developing their own personal political philosophy and, of course, thus, their intentional political identity. We hope to foster a credible philosophy and identity for New Social Democrats.  The period known as the Enlightenment encouraged the application of reason
to human affairs. In 1784, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant (in photo) wrote: "Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is man's inability to make use of his understanding without
direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Dare to know! 'Have courage to use your own reason!'- that is the motto of enlightenment."Though this liberatory attitude has been a factor in the thinking of Habermas and he has in recent years been using Kant as a greater resource in his thought, he has also most recently been turning to theology, surprisingly, since he is known as "the" secular public intellectual in Germany. He has said: "Christianity, and nothing else, is the ultimate foundation of liberty, conscience, human rights and democracy, the benchmarks of Western civilization.” This has caused quite a stir. Habermas even has engaged in a conversation with Joseph Ratzinger, the current Pope. Ratzinger has also said that “democratic socialism was and is close to Catholic social doctrine and has in any case made a remarkable contribution to the formation of a social consciousness.” These are all indicators of a possible new type of conversation among philosophy, religion, and social democracy. An interesting Eastern European political philosopher now being rather widely read is Slavoj Zizek. There is a whole website dedicated to Zizek studies. Steve Robinson maintains a good site on Jurgen Habermas, Critical Theory, and the Frankfurt School of Social Research. Antti Kauppinen does extensive web research on Habermas. Illuminations presents the works of key figures in Critical Theory including Habermas. An excellent place to explore postmodernism is the Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory. There is a very complete site available on Foucault with lots of web links and a new site for the Foucault Society. A page of Links Appropriate for Scholars of Foucault contains much information. Finally, a page called Contemporary Philosophy, Critical Theory and Postmodern Thought at the University of Denver helpful links to many different thinkers. For general philosophy try the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy or the Encyclodedia Britanica. |