Introduction: Toward a Comparative Political Theory

1997 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Dallmayr
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Global Village ◽  
Comparative Political Theory ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Media ◽  
Global Arena ◽  
Field Of Inquiry

This Special Issue is meant to inaugurate or help launch a field of inquiry which is either nonexistent or at most fledgling and embryonic in contemporary academia: the field of “comparative political theory” or “comparative political philosophy.” What is meant by these titles is an inquiry which, in a sustained fashion, reflects upon the status and meaning of political life no longer in a restricted geographical setting but in the global arena. The motivation behind this initiative is a transformation which profoundly shapes our waning century: the emergence of the “global village” involving the steadily intensifying interaction among previously (more or less) segregated civilizations or cultural zones. Although human lives everywhere are deeply affected today by the global forces of the market, technology, and the media, the implications of these changes have not yet fully penetrated into Western intellectual discourse. As practiced in most Western universities, the study of political theory or political philosophy revolves basically around the canon of Western political thought from Plato to Marx or Nietzsche—with occasional recent concessions to strands of feminism and multiculturalism as found in Western societies.

Between Specters of War and Visions of Peace

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald M. Mara
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Democratic Theory ◽  
First Century ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Frames Of Reference ◽  
War And Peace ◽  
History Of ◽  
Western Democracies

This book examines how ideas of war and peace have functioned as organizing frames of reference within the history of political theory. It interprets ten widely read figures in that history within five thematically focused chapters that pair (in order) Schmitt and Derrida, Aquinas and Machiavelli, Hobbes and Kant, Hegel and Nietzsche, and Thucydides and Plato. The book’s substantive argument is that attempts to establish either war or peace as dominant intellectual perspectives obscure too much of political life. The book argues for a style of political theory committed more to questioning than to closure. It challenges two powerful currents in contemporary political philosophy: the verdict that premodern or metaphysical texts cannot speak to modern and postmodern societies, and the insistence that all forms of political theory be some form of democratic theory. What is offered instead is a nontraditional defense of the tradition and a democratic justification for moving beyond democratic theory. Though the book avoids any attempt to show the immediate relevance of these interpretations to current politics, its impetus stems very much from the current political circumstances. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century , a series of wars has eroded confidence in the progressively peaceful character of international relations; citizens of the Western democracies are being warned repeatedly about the threats posed within a dangerous world. In this turbulent context, democratic citizens must think more critically about the actions their governments undertake. The texts interpreted here are valuable resources for such critical thinking.

The Muslim Tradition of Political Philosophy

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahrough Akhavi
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
The State ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Epistemological Foundation ◽  
The Individual

The doctrine of salvation in Islam centers on the community of believers. Contemporary Muslim political philosophy (or, preferably, political theory) covers a broad expanse that brings under its rubric at least two diverse tendencies: an approach that stresses the integration of religion and politics, and an approach that insists on their separation. Advocates of the first approach seem united in their desire for the “Islamization of knowledge,” meaning that the epistemological foundation of understanding and explanation in all areas of life, including all areas of political life, must be “Islamic.” Thus, one needs to speak of an “Islamic anthropology,” an “Islamic sociology,” an “Islamic political science,” and so on. But there is also a distinction that one may make among advocates of this first approach. Moreover, one can say about many, perhaps most, advocates of the first approach that they feel an urgency to apply Islamic law throughout all arenas of society. This article focuses on the Muslim tradition of political philosophy and considers the following themes: the individual and society, the state, and democracy.

Language and culture in comparative political theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-44
Author(s):  
Andrew Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Comparative Political Theory ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
The Core ◽  
Political Studies ◽  
Theory Comparison ◽  
The Status ◽  
Culture And Language

Abstract The essay explores an oblique perspective on language via the field of comparative political theory* (*hereafter CPT). The essay sketches briefly some of the conceptual architecture and genealogy of the comparative political theory enterprise and investigates more specifically the uses of the concepts of culture and language within the core arguments. The discussion distinguishes three rough categories of CPT and correlates these with understandings of language. The discussion then turns to certain problematic aspects of CPT concerned with the concepts of political theory, comparison within political studies and the concept of culture itself. The essay concludes on a critical and circumspect note on the status of CPT within contemporary understandings of political theory.

scholarly journals Aristotelianism and African Political Predicament: New Implications and Imperatives

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Elijah Okon John ◽  
Joseph Ajuluchukwu Uka
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Sovereign State ◽  
Form Of Life ◽  
Political Theories

<p><em>Aristotle’s socio-political theory emphasizes the belief that human beings are naturally political. Aristotelian ideals that the political life of a free citizen is a sovereign state which provides for the well-being of the citizenry is the highest form of life. Thus, his idea of free citizenship immediately introduces the concept of limitations between citizens—the free and the not free, the masters and the slave. The consequence of his political theory is the introduction of inequality among the members of the society but the question is: was Aristotle right in justifying social inequality? The answer to it embodies the major issues of this work. How we can evaluate Aristotle’s positive and negative socio-political theories is one of the concerns of this paper. Effort will be made to critically explicate the good aspects of his theory as well as drawing a synthesis from the critique of the condemnable aspects of Aristotle’s political philosophy in fashioning out a formidable route for African political leaders.</em><em></em></p>

scholarly journals CARLO SCHMITTO POLITINĖS TEOLOGIJOS STATUSO PROBLEMA

Problemos ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 99-110
Author(s):  
Linas Jokubaitis
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Political Theology ◽  
The Status ◽  
Xix Century ◽  
Theology And Philosophy

Straipsnio tikslas – Carlo Schmitto politinės teologijos statuso analizė. Siekiama įrodyti, kad Schmitto pristatyta koncepcija negali būti suprasta kaip teisės sąvokų sociologija, kaip ją kai kuriuose darbuose apibūdino pats autorius. Ji taip pat negali būti aiškinama kaip teologijos dalis, kaip tai daro daugelis dabartinių interpretuotojų. Schmittas „politinės teologijos“ vardu pavadino politikos teorijai priskirtiną projektą, pagrįstą teologinių prielaidų įvedimu į filosofiją. Tai primena XIX a. katalikų reakcio­nierių Josepho de Maistre’o, Louiso de Bonaldo ir Juano Donoso Corteso politinę filosofiją.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: politinė teologija, teisės sąvokų sociologija, politiškumas, katalikų politinė filosofijaCarl Schmitt’s Political Theology: The Status ProblemLinas Jokubaitis AbstractThe aim of the article is the analysis of the status of Carl Schmitt’s political theology. It is argued that this conception can not be understood as a sociology of juristic concepts as it was described by its author. Today many interpretators attempt to explain political theology as a part of theology. This interpretation is deficient in some of its parts. Schmitt was developing a political theory which he called “political theology”. This project has to be understood as an attempt to use theological argumentations and insights in the discourse of political philosophy. Schmitt’s attempt to create a synthesis of theology and philosophy for the study of politics is similar to the aims of reactionary XIX century Catholic political philosophy of Joseph de Maistre, Louis de Bonald and Juan Donoso Cortes.Keywords: political theology, sociology of juristic concepts, Catholic political philosophy.;

scholarly journals Introduction to the Hegel translations

KÜLÖNBSÉG ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Imre Bártfai
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Specific Problem ◽  
Philosophy Of Religion ◽  
The Other ◽  
Social Effects ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
The Social ◽  
Objective Content

In this special issue the editorial aim was to represent the whole spectrum of Hegel’s philosophy within the relatively small scope and size provided. Hegel’s system sprouted from one specific problem, the social effects of religion, but was soon extended to all areas of philosophy ranging from ontology to political philosophy. This issue contains the translations of two texts by Hegel, one on political issues, the other on the philosophy of religion. Other aspects of Hegel’s philosophy are represented by the papers. The first translation is the so called first Wurttenberg text on political issues: he argues for cautious modernization and reform and against swift, radical democratization in political life. The second text is Hegel’s introduction to Wilhelm Hinrichs’s Die Religion im inneren Verhältnisse zur Wissenschaft (1822) in which Hegel expounds his critique of Schleiermacher. He criticizes Schleiermacher and other romantic theorists of religion who deprive faith of its objective content and system in response to the historical-scientific critique of religion by Enlightenment philosophers.

Politics of the Kingdom: Pannenberg's Anthropology

1987 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-111
Author(s):  
Fred R. Dallmayr
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Religious Movements ◽  
City Of God ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
Liberal Democratic ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
Business As Usual

Religion is again a lively topic not only in practical-political life but also in social and political thought. The latter development is by far more surprising and intriguing than the practical-political relevance. For some time, political theory had ostensibly settled accounts with, or resolved the status of, religious belief: basically churches and religious movements were classified as one type of interest groups (or “input variables”) within a comprehensive liberal-democratic model — a model secular in character but not intolerant, within limits, of religious convictions. On the part of organized (especially Protestant) churches, the settlement was widely accepted as a means for securing both internal church autonomy and some influence in the political arena; the “social gospel” movement in particular saw faith chiefly as a leverage for advancing welfare and progress within secular society. To be sure, the optimism of the liberal settlement was severely challenged, and partly disrupted, by catastrophic events in our century as well as by radical theological criticism — a criticism highlighted in Richard Niebuhr's well-known phrase: “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” Yet, when carried to an extreme, theological criticism had the paradoxical effect of reinforcing the secular-liberal paradigm. Once religion was radically segregated from politics or the “city of God” from the “earthly city,” the latter was left entirely to its own devices; purged of all religious and millenarian considerations social and political theory could return to business as usual.

Nonviolence and Gandhi's truth: A Method for Moral and Political Arbitration

2006 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farah Godrej
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Life Itself ◽  
Truth Claims ◽  
Fresh Insight ◽  
Insight Into

Can we gain any fresh insight into the problem of mediating among competing truth claims in political life? This essay will demonstrate that the political theory of Mahatma Gandhi provides us with a novel way to understand and arbitrate the conflict among moral projects. Gandhi offers us a vision of political action that insists on the viability of the search for truth and the implicit possibility of adjudicating among competing claims to truth. His vision also presents a more complex and realistic understanding, than do some other contemporary pluralists, of political philosophy and of political life itself.

Watchdogs or Masters? The changing role of the Canberra Press Gallery

2018 ◽  
Vol 167 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-12
Author(s):  
Philip Chubb ◽  
Stephanie Brookes ◽  
Margaret Simons
Keyword(s):  
Political Life ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Political Journalism ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Media ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Changing Role ◽  
Political Reporting

This Special Issue tackles increasing urgent questions about the role and performance of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, a unique and valuable institution central to Australian political journalism. These questions about the Press Gallery’s contribution to political life include: how might we understand the changing authority and effectiveness of the Press Gallery? Has Australia entered an era when media failures are damaging the country’s ability to affect reform? Are we witnessing a twin assault on the quality of Australian democracy from politicians and the media? The articles gathered here offer a variety of tools and perspectives useful for thought and action in this moment in history – when political reporting is fundamentally disrupted, and with it the democratic forms that have grown up in lockstep with mass media. They chart changes and longer-term trends, and particularise broader shifts in political journalism and communication, providing both information and theoretically engaged analysis.

scholarly journals Pierre Clastres as comparative political theorist: The democratic potential of the new political anthropology

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-94
Author(s):  
Christopher Holman
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Alternative Model ◽  
Political Anthropology ◽  
The Political ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Comparative Political Theory ◽  
Intercultural Exchange ◽  
History Of

This article examines the political anthropological work of Pierre Clastres in light of the emergence of the subfield of comparative political theory. In particular, it argues that Clastres’ reconstruction of the political philosophy of various Amazonian societies offers an alternative model for the engagement with texts and traditions external to the history of so-called Western societies. Rejecting all impulses toward totalization – as represented, for example, in the assertion of a dialogical potential for establishing modes of intercultural exchange aimed at achieving mutual understanding – Clastres calls attention to the radical social-historical alterity of forms of society. Appreciation of this alterity not only enlarges the scope of comparative political thought to engage inherited traditions that resist assimilation into Western conversations, but also reveals an indeterminate democratic potential grounded in political creativity.

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