What Is Political Philosophy?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Larmore
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Political Liberalism ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Political Society ◽  
Classical Liberalism ◽  
Political Realism ◽  
Political Philosopher ◽  
Definition Of

What is political philosophy? What are its fundamental problems? And how should it be distinguished from moral philosophy? This book redefines the distinctive aims of political philosophy, reformulating in this light the basis of a liberal understanding of politics. Because political life is characterized by deep and enduring conflict between rival interests and differing moral ideals, the core problems of political philosophy are the regulation of conflict and the conditions under which the members of society may thus be made subject to political authority. We cannot assume that reason will lead to unanimity about these matters because individuals hold different moral convictions. The book therefore analyzes the concept of reasonable disagreement and investigates the ways we can adjudicate conflicts among people who reasonably disagree about the nature of the human good and the proper basis of political society. Challenging both the classical liberalism of Locke, Kant, and Mill, and more recent theories of political realism proposed by Bernard Williams and others, the book argues for a version of political liberalism that is centered on political legitimacy rather than on social justice, and that aims to be well suited to our times rather than universally valid. It proposes a new definition of political philosophy and demonstrates the profound implications of that definition. The result is a compelling and distinctive intervention from a major political philosopher.

Political Liberalism and Legitimacy

2020 ◽  
pp. 122-171
Author(s):  
Charles Larmore
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Liberalism ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
Philosophical Tradition ◽  
Liberal Theory ◽  
Political Society ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Classical Liberalism ◽  
Philosophical Reflection ◽  
Clear View

This chapter explores the phenomenon of reasonable disagreement, which is an idea that can seem paradoxical because of the philosophical tradition that leads inevitably to the convergence of opinion. It analyzes the conception of political legitimacy that follows the fundamental principles of political society as they are coercive in nature. It discusses liberalism that is seen more clearly than past conceptions about the true task of political philosophy due to the reflective culture imbued with historical self-awareness. The chapter also provides a clear view of the fundamental problems confronting political society. It reviews political liberalism, which is understood as a form of liberal theory that is different from classical liberalism and becomes a vigorous area of philosophical reflection.

La Idea de “Razón Publica” (y su Revisión) en el Último Rawls

2003 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 5-31
Author(s):  
Fernando Aranda Fraga ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Public Good ◽  
John Rawls ◽  
Public Reason ◽  
Political Liberalism ◽  
The Political ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Political Philosopher

In 1993 John Rawls published his main and longest work since 1971, where he had published his reknowned A Theory of Justice, book that made him famous as the greatest political philosopher of the century. We are referring to Political Liberalism, a summary of his writings of the 80’s and the first half of the 90’s, where he attempts to answer the critics of his intellectual partners, communitarian philosophers. One of the key topics in this book is the issue of “public reason”, whose object is nothing else than public good, and on which the principles and proceedings of justice are to be applied. The book was so important for the political philosophy of the time that in 1997 Rawls had to go through the 1993 edition, becoming this new one the last relevant writing published before the death of the Harvard philosopher in November 2002.

The Truth in Political Realism

2020 ◽  
pp. 68-121
Author(s):  
Charles Larmore
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Distributive Justice ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Political Order ◽  
Social Cooperation ◽  
Political Realism ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Primary Object

This chapter analyzes groups that follow different moral or religious traditions that generally have their own internal controversies, such as conflicts in the absence of laws to handle them and render social cooperation difficult or even impossible. It also explains why political philosophy is not properly a province of moral philosophy. It talks about the fundamental task in determining the kind of political order that can justifiably impose authoritative rules for handling the major conflicts in society. The chapter also clarifies why legitimacy and not distributive justice should be the primary object of political philosophy. For legitimacy is involved with the conditions under which enforceable rules may be justifiably imposed on the members of a society.

MacIntyre, Alasdair (1929–)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Thomas ◽  
Tom Angier
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Alasdair Macintyre ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Ethical Approach

Alasdair MacIntyre has contributed to the diverse fields of social, moral and political philosophy. He is one of the leading proponents of a virtue ethical approach in moral philosophy, part of a wider attempt to recover an Aristotelian conception of both morality and politics. His return to ancient and mediaeval sources has been powered by a critical indictment of the modern moral predicament, which MacIntyre regards as theoretically confused and practically fragmented; only a return to a tradition which synthesizes Aristotelian and Augustinian elements will restore rationality and intelligibility to contemporary moral and political life.

Conclusion

2020 ◽  
pp. 172-178
Author(s):  
Charles Larmore
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Political Realism ◽  
Realistic Approach ◽  
Best Fit

This chapter, whose main theme is the nature of political philosophy, focuses on modern liberalism in order to explain what exactly the principle of political legitimacy is. It explains why political legitimacy should be understood as something propounding and why some may see reason to reject it when it is the best fit for the modern world. It also argues that political philosophy should be understood in its domain in which things are never likely to be as ideally as people think it should. The chapter mentions two connected themes that have shaped the realistic approach to political philosophy. It defends an approach that intersects with the lines of thinking that at the present time often go under the name of “political realism.”

Hegel's Occasional Writings: State and Individual

1983 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-208
Author(s):  
Peter J. Steinberger
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Ethical Behavior ◽  
Social Values ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Basic Task ◽  
Personal Morality ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Individual

Perhaps the most basic and enduring theme in political philosophy is that which concerns the inherent tension between individual values and social values. Indeed, the task of reconciling, in thought, the individual and social is virtually a definition of political philosophy. Of course, in much secondary work, and some primary work as well, this basic task often gets lost in a maze of more particular considerations, including the analysis of moral principles and the elaboration of special institutional arrangements or particular causal patterns. Nonetheless, major theorists, virtually without exception, have recognized that the basic individual values (e.g., freedom, privacy, personal morality) may well be politically undesirable and, similarly, that the requirements of political life (e.g., order, obedience, ethical behavior) may significantly compromise individual goals.

scholarly journals IN WHAT SENSE MUST POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY BE POLITICAL?

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 155-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Miller
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
John Rawls ◽  
Political Liberalism ◽  
Liberal State ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Narrow View ◽  
The Status ◽  
Political Evaluation ◽  
The Right

Abstract:Political philosophy appears to have recovered from its alleged death in the middle of the last century, but now faces the realist charge that in the work of John Rawls and those influenced by him it fails to be political in the right way; it is merely “applied moral philosophy.” I dismiss the hyper-realist position of authors such as Raymond Geuss for taking an implausibly narrow view of politics. There is more merit in Bernard Williams’s claim that legitimacy, not justice, is the central problem of political philosophy. Yet we cannot understand the significance of legitimation without referring to the moral values that are realized when it succeeds. Thus, Williams fails to show that political normativity can be detached entirely from ethics. Moreover the legitimacy requirements of a liberal state, according to Williams, are substantively close to the requirements of justice according to Rawls. In light of the latter’s turn to “political liberalism,” they appear also to hold convergent views about the status of the theories they are advancing. I conclude by suggesting that the “applied moral philosophy” charge would apply only to philosophers who believe that general moral principles, like utility or rights, can do all the work of political evaluation. Politics does indeed have special features that impose distinctive justificatory requirements on its procedures and the outcomes they produce.

scholarly journals Ontology and political theory: A critical encounter between Rawls and Foucault

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 238-258
Author(s):  
Irena Rosenthal
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
John Rawls ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
Political Liberalism ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Truth Telling ◽  
Critical Methodology ◽  
Political Theories ◽  
Ontological Turn

Contemporary political thought is deeply divided about the role of ontology in political thinking. Famously, political liberal John Rawls has argued that ontological claims are best to be avoided in political thought. In recent years, however, a number of theorists have claimed that ontology is essential to political philosophy. According to the contributors to this ‘ontological turn’, ontological investigations may foster the politicisation of hegemonic political theories and can highlight new possibilities for political life. This essay aims to contribute to the debate about ontology in political philosophy by arguing that a compelling case for ontology can also be made in light of Rawls’ political liberalism itself, in particular, by taking seriously Rawls’ commitment to the politicisation of justice and the task of orientation of political philosophy. To make this case, the paper brings Rawls' perspective in conversation with the critical methodology and the ontology of agonism and reflections on parrhesia or frank truth-telling of Michel Foucault.

scholarly journals The ‘populist moment’: An expression that teaches us more about how we perceive our time than about this time itself

2020 ◽  
pp. 136843102095752
Author(s):  
Manuel Cervera-Marzal
Keyword(s):  
Political Liberalism ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Chantal Mouffe ◽  
Definition Of

Four recent books believe that we have entered the ‘era of populism’. After 30 years of neoliberal hegemony, we would now be living a new historical period in which political life would be more and more confrontational, personalized and emotional. Through a reconstruction of the main arguments of Ilvo Diamanti, Marc Lazar, Chantal Mouffe, Pierre Rosanvallon and Arnaud Zacharie, this article aims to highlight the accomplishments and the limitations of this historical diagnosis. Special attention is given to the fact that, behind an apparent consensus, the theorists of the ‘populist moment’ disagree on several issues: the definition of populism, its relationship with political liberalism and the existence of a populist electorate.

scholarly journals The Early Zhou Period: Origin of the Idea of Political Legitimacy and the Political Philosophy of Confucianism

Asian Studies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lun DU
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
Chinese Philosophy ◽  
Political Legitimacy ◽  
The Political ◽  
Ancient China ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mandate Of Heaven

The Chunqiu and Zhanguo Periods are usually regarded as the birth of Chinese philosophy, especially with regard to practical or moral philosophy. If we think about the concept of political legitimacy in the Early Zhou Period, with ideas like the “Mandate of Heaven”, “respect virtue” and “protect ruled people”, then this Period is not only the origin of this in ancient China, but also of Chinese philosophy, and primarily the political philosophy of Confucianism. The paper will first explain some documents in the “inscriptions on ancient bronze objects” in order to prove that the ideas of the “Mandate of Heaven”, “respect virtue” and “protect ruled people” really originated from this time. Through analysis of several Zhou documents from the Book of the Documents the paper will then demonstrate that these ideas are the three most important innovations in the history of Chinese thinking at that time.

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