SP406 Principles of Political Theory Lecturers: Dr. Allyn Fives: Room MY310, Aras Moyola. Office hours: Wednesday 11.00 – 1.00, Thursday: 12.00 – 1.00 Dr. Kevin Ryan: Room MY325, Aras Moyola. Office hours: Monday 12.00–1.00; Wednesday 2.30–3.30. Course description: What questions are fundamental when we consider politics and democracy? The two questions addressed in the first part of the course concern justice and legitimacy: what is the just distribution of benefits and burdens; and what is the legitimate exercise of political authority? The first part of the course also introduces the most keenly debated principles in contemporary political theory: utility, liberty, equality, publicity, solidarity, and legitimacy. In doing so it both discusses the work of the major figures in the discipline and also explores how their arguments are applied to real world political issues. Contemporary theorists draw on a range of philosophical traditions from the 20th century and earlier (including utilitarianism, liberalism, Marxism, republicanism, feminism, and Aristotelianism) and their work is highly relevant to attempts to deal with issues such as how to reduce domination and deprivation, how to deal with moral pluralism, what responsibilities we have for non-citizens, and how to justify public policy priorities. In the second part of the course, many of these substantive concerns (in particular liberty, equality, solidarity, domination, and pluralism) are re-examined through the lens of democratic theory. In the lectures we examine two major currents in contemporary democratic theory: ‘deliberative’ democracy and ‘agonistic’ democracy. As a way of thinking about politics and ‘the political’, the concept of agonism emphasises struggle, contest and plurality. Originating in the athletic and oratorical contests of ancient Greece, this has recently come to characterise a distinct branch of democratic theory. Contemporary agonists have staged a critical debate with normative theories that prioritise rational deliberation and consensus as the means and ends of democratic politics. Although there are important differences in the respective approaches of deliberative and agonistic democrats, they also have certain things in common: the idea that democracy as it currently exists is constrained, even flawed, and the argument that the promise of democracy can only be fulfilled if people are both willing and able to play a more active and direct role in political life. 1 Learning Outcomes: Students completing the requirements of this course will be able to: Demonstrate critical thinking, including the ability to formulate an argument. Analyse contemporary problems in light of the concepts and theories presented in class. Identify concepts and questions that are central to Western political thought. Method of Assessment Students are required to write a mid-term essay (details will be announced in class) and sit a two-hour exam at the end of the semester. The exam paper is in three sections, all of which must be answered. Reading for this Course The core readings for each topic are listed week by week below. Please note that there is no single textbook for this module, but there are a number of useful general texts in the library, including the following: Farrelly, Colin (2004) Contemporary Political Theory: A Reader, Sage. 320.011 CON Allyn Fives (2013) Political Reason: Morality and the public sphere. 320.01 FIV Plant, R (1991) Modern Political Thought. 320.01 PLA Kymlicka, W (2002) Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction. 320.50904 KYM Morrow, J (1998) A History of Political Thought: A Thematic Introduction. 320.011 MOR Structure: Weeks 1 – 6: Dr. Allyn Fives Weeks 7 – 12: Dr. Kevin Ryan Timetable: Monday, 11am – 12pm, AM250 Thursday, 3pm – 4pm, AM250 2 Topics and Reading List Week 1: Introduction to political theory and overview of the course Political theory is the one branch of philosophy most closely concerned with public matters. Political theory can provide insight into the fundamental problems of modern politics (including domination, inequality, global justice, and moral disagreement); and it can draw on a range of philosophical traditions from the 20th century and earlier (including utilitarianism, liberalism, Marxism, republicanism, feminism, and Aristotelianism). What questions does political theory attempt to answer? The two most important questions (the ones that we will be concerned with in this course) are: What is the just distribution of benefits and burdens? What is the legitimate exercise of political power? Reading: Allyn Fives (2016) The role of philosophy in public matters. In Fives & Breen (Eds.) Philosophy and Political Engagement (Palgrave) [Blackboard] Jonathan Wolff (2011). Ethics and Public Inquiry. London: Routledge. Introduction [Blackboard] Michael Sandel (2009). Justice: What is the right thing to do? Chapter 1. 320.011 SAN [Blackboard] Philip Pettit (2006). Why and how philosophy matters to politics. In R.E.Goodin and C.Tilly, eds, Oxford Handbook of Contextual Political Studies. 320 OXF Week 2: Utility and Liberty According to the utilitarian, an act is right insofar as it promotes happiness. Questions: Is utilitarianism as a philosophical approach ideally suited to politics (if not to personal life)? Is utilitarianism compatible with respect for individual liberty, or is it instead a threat to personal freedom? Utilitarianism requires us to get our ‘hands dirty,’ for instance, when we make tough decisions about the distribution of scarce resources. Can utilitarianism justify these tough decisions, such as when we decide on public policy priorities? We look at the example of the use of torture against accused terrorists, restricting freedom of expression so as to maintain order, and experimental studies for evidence-based services. Introductory Reading: Michael Sandel (2009). Justice: What is the right thing to do? Chapter 2. 320.011 SAN [Blackboard] Further Readings: Allyn Fives (2008) Political and Philosophical Debates in Welfare. Chapter 2. 361 FIV Robert E. Goodin (1995) Utilitarianism as a public philosophy. Chapters 1-2. 171.5 GOO [Blackboard] HLA Hart (1979) ‘Utility and Rights’, Columbia Law Review, 79(5), 828–46. [Blackboard] Will Kymlicka (2002) Contemporary Political Philosophy. Chapter 2. 320.50904 KYM Peter Singer (1993). Practical Ethics. Chapter 2. 170 SIN Raymond Plant (1991). Modern Political Thought. Chapter 4. 320.01PLA 3 Week 3: Liberty and Equality According to Isaiah Berlin, we should protect each person’s ‘negative’ liberty (i.e. their freedom from interference), and we are never justified in coercing another so as to make them free in the ‘positive’ sense (i.e. the freedom to do this and the freedom to be that). Question: Do we not also have duties to help others obtain the resources needed to lead their own lives or even to lead valuable lives? One alternative approach is that, although we should not coerce others to be free, we should help others obtain the background conditions of positive freedom. In addition, according to John Rawls, after guaranteeing the liberty of each (freedom from interference, as Berlin defines it) we should prioritize the interests of the least well off. Introductory Reading: Will Kymlicka (2002) Contemporary Political Philosophy. Chapter 3. 320.50904 KYM Further Reading: Isaiah Berlin (1958). Two Concepts of Liberty. In Henry Hardy (Ed.) Liberty (pp. 166-217). 323.44 BER Robert Nozick (1974). Anarchy, State and Utopia. Chapter 7. 320.101 NOZ John Rawls (1971). A Theory of Justice. Chapters 1-3. 320.011 RAW [Blackboard] Joseph Raz (1986). The Morality of Freedom. Chapter 15. 323.44 RAZ Week 4: Virtue and Reasonableness According to Aristotelians, justice requires that we each receive what we deserve, and our desert (or merit) is a function of our virtuous activity in contributing to the achievement of society’s common goods. Questions: In a modern society, can we agree about what is ‘good’ and a ‘virtue’? Or instead is it the case that we cannot expect others to agree with us about these highly controversial ideas? If we answer in the affirmative to the latter question, a key requirement of politics is reasonableness: that is, a commitment to appeal to and use ideas that can be made public in the sense that others can be expected to accept them. We will look at what Aristotelians (Alasdair MacIntyre) and liberals (John Rawls) have argued and in particular concerning the phenomenon of moral pluralism and how it relates to children. Do parents have a right to ‘share a way of life’ with their children (i.e. the right to socialize and educate their children in such a way as to promote and inculcate their values)? Does society have the right to promote certain values (e.g. reasonableness, autonomy) among all children, even when parents are opposed to this? Introductory Reading: Will Kymlicka (2002) Contemporary Political Philosophy. Chapter 6. 320.50904 KYM Further Reading: Allyn Fives (2013) Political Reason. Chapter 6. 320.01 FIV Amy Gutmann (1995). Civic Education and Social Diversity. Ethics, 105(3), 557-579. [Full text on-line at NUI Galway]. Alasdair MacIntyre (1984). Is patriotism a virtue? In Ronald Beiner (Ed.) Theorizing Citizenship. 323.6 THE [Blackboard] John Rawls (1989). The Domain of the Political and Overlapping Consensus. The New York University Law Review, 64(2), 233-255. [Full text on-line at NUI Galway]. Michael Sandel (2009). Justice: What is the right thing to do? Chps 8 & 10. 320.011 SAN 4 Week 5: Membership and Cosmopolitanism According to cosmopolitans, our responsibilities extend to all humans within a global civil society, and therefore we should not discriminate between those who are members and those who are strangers. The alternative (communitarian) line of argument is that we already belong to political communities and therefore membership itself (and the rights and duties that come with it) is a good that can be sought or lost. Question: Do we have a duty to admit strangers (e.g. refugees, immigrants) and to aid strangers (e.g. assistance to the distant poor)? We will explore the specific examples of global distributive justice, human rights interventions, immigration, asylum, and refugees. Introductory Reading: Michael Walzer (1983). Spheres of Justice. Chapter 2. 305 WAL [Blackboard] RE Goodin (1995) Utilitarianism as a public philosophy Ch. 16 171.5 GOO [Blackboard] Further Reading: Charles Beitz (2001). Human Rights as a Common Concern. The American Political Science Review, 95(2), 269-282. [Full text on-line at NUI Galway]. Allyn Fives (2013) Political Reason. Chapter 7. 320.01 FIV David Miller (2004). National responsibility and international justice. In Deen K. Chatterjee (Ed.). The Ethics of Assistance (pp. 123-146). [Blackboard] Richard W. Miller (2004). Moral Closeness and World Community. In Deen K. Chatterjee (Ed.). The Ethics of Assistance (pp. 101-122). [Blackboard] Michael Sandel (2009). Justice: What is the right thing to do? Chapter 9. 320.011 SAN Peter Singer (1993). Practical Ethics, Chapter 8. 170 SIN Week 6: Legitimacy and Justice Legitimacy is a matter of political power; justice is a matter of the distribution of benefits and burdens. Questions: Are there different forms of State power, such that we can distinguish between coercion, interference with liberty, and control? Even if the State’s power is legitimate, is it a separate matter whether we have a duty to obey the State? For power to be legitimate, must it be democratic? Can an unjust society be legitimate? For liberals, people are free insofar as no one does interfere with their liberty, and people can be free in unequal and undemocratic societies. According to republican theorists, the most important issue is the extent to which some individuals or groups have the capacity to interfere with the freedom of choice of others and therefore people are free only in democratic and egalitarian societies. Introductory Reading: Philip Pettit (2012). On the People’s Terms. Introduction. 321.86 PET Further Reading: Richard Flathman (1993) Legitimacy. In R. E. Goodin, P. Pettit, T. W. Pogge (Eds.) A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy. Chapter 38. 320.01 COM Amy Gutmann (1993) Democracy. In R. E. Goodin, P. Pettit, T. W. Pogge (Eds.) A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy. Chapter 25. 320.01 COM Will Kymlicka (2002) Contemporary Political Philosophy. Chapter 7. 320.50904 KYM Philip Pettit (2012). On the People’s Terms. Chapter 3. 321.86 PET 5 Week 7: Problematizing democracy: from aggregation to deliberation In the lectures this week we will explore two very different approaches to the study of democracy. One, which tends to equate participation with the electoral cycle, is an understanding of democracy as a process of ‘aggregation’, whereby the ‘will of the people’ or the ‘common good’ is achieved through the aggregation of individual preferences. The other approach we examine uses a broad conception of ‘language’ to think about the relationship between liberty, equality, and solidarity, and this will serve as a starting point in moving towards a ‘deliberative’ theory of democracy. Core readings: Shapiro, Ian (2005) Aggregation, Deliberation, and the Common Good Rorty, Richard (1989) Chapter 1 (the Contingency of Language) from his Contingency, Irony, Solidarity Further Reading: Rorty, R. (1989) Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity Rorty, R. (1998) Truth and Progress Rorty, R. (2007) Philosophy as Cultural Politics Rorty, R. (1998) Achieving our Country: leftist thought in twentieth-century America Rorty, R. (1996) ‘Idealisations, Foundations and Social Practices’’, in S. Benhabib (Ed) Democracy and difference: contesting the boundaries of the political Rorty, R. (1998) Against Bosses, Against Oligarchies: A Conversation with Richard Rorty Malachowski, A. R. (2002) Richard Rorty, Volume 3 Politics, Irony and Solidarity Festenstein, M. and T. Simon (2001) Richard Rorty: Critical Dialogues Conant, J. (2000) ‘Freedom, Cruelty and Truth: Rorty versus Orwell’, in R. Brandom, Rorty and His Critics Saatkamp, H. J. (1995) Rorty and Pragmatism: the philosopher responds to his critics Week 8: Deliberative Democracy This week we examine Jürgen Habermas’s theory of deliberative democracy, focusing in particular on how this is anchored in his social theory of ‘communicative action’. Habermas’ political theory is based on the insight that the democratic process can be (and ought to be) guided by implicit norms which are built into the structure of communication, which ‘push’ interlocutors to try to reach mutual understanding and normative agreement. According to Habermas, the question ‘why?’ (why did you say that, why did you do that) acts as a ‘warranty’ against insincerity, deceit and manipulation. We will look at criticisms of Habermas’ theory in subsequent weeks, but first we need to gain an understanding of how he builds his theory, and how this relates to a specific way of thinking about ‘consensus’. Core readings: Rehg, William (1996) ‘Translator’s Introduction’ to Jürgen Habermas, Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy. Eriksen, E. O. and Weigård, Chapters 3 & 6 from their Understanding Habermas: Communicative Action and Deliberative Democracy Further Reading Habermas (1987 & 1984) Theory of Communicative Action (2 volumes) Habermas, J (1996) Between Facts and Norms Habermas, J (1984) Communication and the Evolution of Society 6 Habermas (1998) The Inclusion of the Other: Studies in Political Theory (pp. 39-46 and Section V) Habermas, J., ‘The Public Sphere’, reproduced in Goodin, R. & Petit, P (Eds) (1997) Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Anthology Cooke, M (1994) Language and Reason Cooke, M (2006) Re-presenting the Good Society Delanty, G. (1999) ‘Discourse and Democracy: Habermas’ Theory of Modernity’, in his Social Theory in a Changing World: Conceptions of Modernity Eriksen, E. O. and Weigård, J (2003) Understanding Habermas: Communicative Action and Deliberative Democracy (Esp. Chapter 4) Farrelly, Colin (2004) Contemporary Political Theory: A Reader (pp. 223-59) Held, D. (1990) Introduction to Critical Theory (see Chap. 9: ‘Introduction to Habermas’) White, S. K. (1995) ‘Reason, Modernity, and Democracy’, in White (Ed) The Cambridge Companion to Habermas Dryzek, J. S. (1995) ‘Communicative Rationality and Cultural Values’, in White (Ed) The Cambridge Companion to Habermas Week 9: From Consensus to Contestation Last week we focused on Habermas’ theory of communicative action and how this underpins his argument that rational deliberation and consensus together constitute the appropriate means and ends of democratic politics. What this means in effect is that collectively-binding decisions are (or ought to be) the outcome of deliberative processes that generate mutual understanding and normative agreement. This week we will begin to take up a critical perspective on this consensual theory of democracy by exploring the following question with the help of Hannah Arendt and John Dryzek: does conflict present a threat to democracy, or is conflict an inevitable, even necessary feature of the democratic process? By exploring this question, we will begin to unpack the concept of ‘agonism’. Core readings: Key concepts in Arendt: Natality (by Karin Fry), Labour, Work & Action (by Paul Voice), Hannah Arendt on the World (by Siobhan Kattago) Kalyvas: ‘The democratic narcissus: the agonism of the ancients compared to that of the (post)moderns’, in Schaap, A. (ed) (2009) Law and Agonistic Politics Dryzek, John (2000) Chapter 7 (Discursive Democracy in a Reflexive Modernity) from his Deliberative Democracy and Beyond Additional Reading (also on Blackboard): Arendt: ‘Introduction into Politics’, from her The Promise of Politics Further Reading Arendt, H. (2005) The Promise of Politics Arendt, H. (1998) The Human Condition Arendt, H. (1965) On Revolution Arendt, H. (1970) On Violence D’Entreves, M. P. (2001) The Political Philosophy of Hannah Arendt Canovan, M. (1974) The Political Thought of Hannah Arendt Dryzek, John (2000) Deliberative Democracy and Beyond Dryzek, J. (2006) Deliberative global politics : discourse and democracy in a divided world 7 Gutman, A. & D. Thompson, Deliberative Democracy Beyond Process, in Farrelly, C. (2004) Contemporary Political Theory: A Reader, pp223-59 Miller, David (1992) ‘Deliberative Democracy and Social Choice’, Political Studies, 40 (Special Issue), pp. 54-67 Elster, Jon (Ed) (1998) Deliberative Democracy Benhabib, S (1996) ‘Toward a deliberative model of democratic legitimacy’, in Benhabib, S (Ed) Democracy and difference: contesting the boundaries of the political Cohen, J (1996) ‘Procedure and substance in deliberative democracy’, in Benhabib, S (Ed) Democracy and difference: contesting the boundaries of the political Young, I. M (1996) ‘Communication and the other: beyond deliberative democracy’, in Benhabib, S (Ed) Democracy and difference: contesting the boundaries of the political Week 10: Agonistic Pluralism Pt. 1 Having traced an outline of the concept of ‘agonism’ last week, this week and next week we examine two contemporary theorists of ‘agonistic pluralism’: William Connolly and Chantal Mouffe, whose work has been described respectively as ‘the expressive agon’ (Connolly) and ‘the pragmatic agon’ (Mouffe). You have already encountered the concept of moral pluralism in Dr. Allyn Fives’ lectures, and we touched on pluralism when we looked at the idea of aggregative democracy in week 7 of the course. The issue of pluralism is also implicit in Habermas’ notion of consensus, but according to the agonists, both the aggregative and deliberative understandings of democratic pluralism are wholly inadequate is dealing with the question of identity and difference, which is also the question of inclusion/exclusion. Core readings: Connolly: Introduction (The Pluralist Imagination) from his Ethos of Pluralization Connolly: Introduction from his Identity/Difference: Democratic Negotiations of Political Paradox Further Reading Connolly, W. (2005). Pluralism Connolly, W. (1995) Ethos Of Pluralization Connolly, W. (2002) Identity/Difference: Democratic Negotiations of Political Paradox Campbell, D. and M. Schoolman (2008) The new pluralism William Connolly and the contemporary global condition (on order) Schaap, A. (ed) (2009) Law and Agonistic Politics Schaap A (2007) Political theory and the agony of politics. Political Studies Review 5: 56-74. Honig B (1993) Political Theory and the Displacement of Politics. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. Howarth, D. (2008) Ethos, Agonism and Populism: William Connolly and the Case for Radical Democracy, British Journal of Politics and International relations 10: 171-93. Tully, J. (2006) The Agonic Freedom of Citizens. Economy and Society 28(2): 161 182. Dryzek, J. (2005) Deliberative Democracy in Divided Societies: Alternatives to Agonism and Analgesia. Political Theory 33(2): 218-242. 8 Week 11: Agonistic Pluralism Pt. 2 This week we focus on Mouffe’s theory of ‘agonistic democracy’, which is very different from Connolly’s way of thinking about ‘agonistic respect’. The central questions for this week concern the (alleged) impossibility of consensus without exclusion, and also Mouffe’s insistence that all forms of politics, including liberal democracy, presuppose some type of friend/enemy relation. We will also look at Mouffe’s most recent work on ‘agonistic politics and artistic practices’, where she makes the connection between art and political activism. Core readings: Mouffe: Chapter 2 (Politics and the Political) from On the Political & Chapter 4 (For and Agonistic Model of Democracy) from The Democratic Paradox Mouffe, C. (2013) Agonistic Politics and Artistic Practices, from her Agonistics: Thinking the World Politically, Verso. On Mouffe Mouffe, Chantal (2012) Agonistics: Thinking the World Politically Mouffe, Chantal (2005) On the Political Mouffe, Chantal (2000) The Democratic Paradox Mouffe, C (1996) ‘Democracy, power, and the "political"’, in Benhabib, S (Ed) Democracy and difference: contesting the boundaries of the political. Mouffe, Chantal (1998) ‘Radical Democracy: Modern or Postmodern?, in Andrew Ross (Ed), Universal Abandon? The Politics of Postmodernism, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. Mouffe, Chantal (1996b) ‘Deconstruction, Pragmatism and the Politics of Democracy’, in Chantal Mouffe (Ed) Deconstruction and Pragmatism, Routledge, London and New York. Laclau and Mouffe (2001) [1985] Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics (Chapters 3 & 4). Laclau and Mouffe (1987) ‘Post-Marxism without Apologies’, New Left Review, 166: 79106. Torfing, Jacob (1999) New Theories of Discourse: Laclau, Mouffe and Žižek (Chapters 13 & 14). Smith, Anna Marie (1998) Laclau and Mouffe: the Radical Democratic Imaginary. On Hegemony Gramsci, Antonio (1971) Selections from the Prison Notebooks Martin, James (1998) Gramsci’s Political Analysis: A Critical Introduction Fontana, Benedetto, Hegemony and Power: On the Relation between Machiavelli and Gramsci Week 12: Dissensus: the art of democracy? In this final week of the course, we continue with the theme of art and activism, beginning with a third type of agonism: the ‘strategic’ agonism of Jacques Rancière. Rancière has a unique way of theorising the relation between aesthetics and politics, and we will approach this by looking at examples of artists who practice ‘relational antagonism’ (see Bishop 2004). We will also examine practices that cross between art and activism but which are more in tune with deliberative democracy. By working back and forth between theory and practice in this way, we will gain an understanding of how ‘democracy’ can be enacted and performed through creative practices that resonate strongly with Arendt’s concept of natality and her views on ‘the world’ as a human artifice. 9 Core readings: Rockhill, G. 2004. Translator’s Introduction. In: J. Rancière, The Politics of Aesthetics: The Distribution of the Sensible. Bishop, C., 2012. Participation and Spectacle: Where are we Now? Kester, G. & M. Wilson (2007) Autonomy, Agonism and Activist Art: An Interview with Grant Kester. Art Journal 66(3), 107-18. Further Reading: Bishop, C. (2012) Artificial Hells: Participatory art and the politics of spectatorship Bishop, C., 2012. Participation and spectacle: where are we now? In: N. Thompson, ed. Living as form: socially engaged art from 1991-2011. New York: Creative Time, 34-45. Bishop, C., 2004. Antagonism and relational aesthetics. October, 110: 51-79. Bourriaud, N. (1998) Relational aesthetics. Dijon: Le Presses du Réel. Davis, O. (2010) Jacques Rancière Kester, G. (2011) The One and the Many: Contemporary collaborative art in a global context Rancière, J. (2010) Dissensus Rancière, J. (2004) The Politics of Aesthetics : The distribution of the sensible Rancière, J. (1992) Politics, identification, and subjectivization. October, 61, 58-64 Roche, J., 2006. Socially engaged art, critics and discontents: an interview with Claire Bishop. Community Arts Network. http://www.apionline.org/. Thompson, N. (Ed) (2012) Living as Form: Socially Engaged Art from 1991-2011 May, T. (2008) The Political Thought of Jacques Rancière: Creating equality Holmes, B., 2012. Eventwork: the fourfold matrix of contemporary social movements. In: N. Thompson, ed. Living as form: socially engaged art from 1991-2011. New York: Creative Time, 72-85. Additional resources: Park Fiction., 2013. Introduction in English. Updated 10th December 2013. http://parkfiction.net/park-fiction-introduction-in-english/. Santiago Sierra: http://www.alfredojaar.net/ Alfredo Jaar: http://www.alfredojaar.net/ Navjot Altaf: http://www.navjotaltaf.com/ Thomas Hirschhorn: interview available at: http://bombmagazine.org/article/3621/thomashirschhorn Grant Kester: https://ucsd.academia.edu/GrantKester Claire Bishop: http://clairebishopresearch.blogspot.ie/ 10