Political Theory: Archives

[Jun 30] From Europe, on ignoring Habermas and Derrida. From Pakistan, on social justice and local customs, and a purple patch from Irwin Edman. Rumsfeld proposes a world peacekeeping force. On the hypocrisy of progressivism. On the 'living wage': A view from the Right. MA Court dismisses Peter Berkowitz's lawsuit against Harvard. From a Festival of Ideas in Australia: "Let's enrich ourselves by wanting less." And imagine a life without needing sex

[Jun 27] Obituary: Strom Thurmond, and more on Bernard Williams. From Bangladesh, on the perversions of Nero, JFK and Keith Richards. From Zimbabwe, why Colin Powell is a sell-out. Sovereignty or prosperity: On hard choices in Canada. How the US is Lockean at home, Hobbesian abroad. Why you should commit petty acts of treason. Somerled McNamar is an arrogant American, and proud of it! And a guide to hate anyone you like

[Jun 26] From France, setting up a public institution for religion. From Nigeria, on migration and economic development. On terrorism and Central Asia. Deconstructing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Free State Project eyes New Hampshire. Does subsidizing college tuition amount to welfare? Sabine Herold is France's Margaret Thatcher. And Hillary Polchow is excited about taking "Introduction to Political Philosophy"

[Jun 25] From the Andes, a new wave of discontent. From India, a left critique of the 'third way,' and from the USA, a right critique. On conservative strategies for the future. On a new kind of distributive justice. From Fox News, the moods of anti - Americanism, and the changing definition of liberalism. Answering lingering questions about Iraq. On the profit motive and the University of Phoenix. Can a philosophy professor die rich? And a teenage Ph.D. from India

[Jun 24] From Jamaica, a new time for democracy. A split decision on affirmative action from the Supreme Court. Richard Dawkins thinks the future looks bright, while Armageddon is hot in the US. On Islam and the American religion. Obituary: G. H. von Wright. On human trafficking and the feminization of poverty. The Electronic Intifada on the right of return. A profile of utopian philosopher Adin Ballou. David Brooks updates Lord Acton. And are you a metrosexual male?

[Jun 23] From Oman, on the common enemy of India and Pakistan. From Azerbaijan, on world terrorism and Armenia. More on Paul Hirst, from The Guardian. Why jurors shouldn't be clueless. Dive into the murky waters of global government. Is Iraq ready for MBNA? On reclassifying pedophilia. Who do Alabamians love more, Marx or Kant? On theoria and praxis in non-stop intellectual circles. And a legend proven false?

[Jun 20] Obituary: Paul Hirst. From South Africa, on the long road to autocracy. From India, Kissinger says the French are backward. On conservatism as mental illness. This issue is political dynamite in Europe. On the Byzantine debate in Washington. How Whiteness Studies stirs interest and anger. Why the NRA has some explaining to do. Is Harry Potter racist? Or worse, a Tory? And no need to refresh this page

[Jun 19] On the Bush credo for Islam, the Mideast war of words, and Iraq--then and now. A bad move: the something-for-nothing culture. More on the libertarian state. Why this guy is not a conservative. On the silent scandal in education, diversity in Utah higher ed, and graduation rites as medieval ceremony. EurActiv on America as Empire and why Europe needs referenda. Who is the 'finest' dad in the U.S.? And can a philosophy professor take on Lennox Lewis?

[Jun 18] More on Bernard Williams, from WaPo. From Papua New Guinea, a new roadmap. On democratic optimism vs. cultural fatalism. Jared Diamond on the erosion of civilization. Is Bush too aggressive, or not aggressive enough? Ralf Dahrendorf on Keynes and seminal ideas. More on Trotskyists in the White House. James Glassman: "In the short term, no one knows anything." On establishing a men's resource center. And on Blair & Brown, and updating Marx for the Age of Beckham

[Jun 17] From South Africa, region's rulers follow Bush's robber barons. Why Iraqis are not embracing Western values. On Gore Vidal and Timothy McVeigh. Is the neocon moment over? A lot of talk going on... Conservatism 101: A checklist. Are liberals in love with intellect? On the many ways of faith though The Simpsons. And on the psychoanalytic construction of beauty's importance

[Jun 16] More on Bernard Williams from the Telegraph, the FT, and the NYT. On the new world order (and part 2). Speaking freely on the question of identity. A profile of John Kerry. Who, or what, is an intellectual?, and why are some against the EU? And can BHL be serious? Respect for veracity is taking a beating. A frontiersman on cultural stability as necessity. And make sure to get your doper's guide to Europe

[Jun 13] Obituary: Bernard Williams. From Nepal, on defending monarchism. From Bulgaria, an end to an era. From Mauritius, rethinking schools. On SCOTUS vacancies this summer, by Howard Bashman. (Check out his blog, too.) Face it: By statistical standards, you are a troglodyte. On tackling problems with philosophy. On global citizenship in the 21st century. And which came first, the chicken or the road?

[Jun 12] From Egypt, a profile of Shaker Shadeed Shanan. From Spain, on The Matrix and anthropology. From Cuba, on socialist health care and hand surgeries. Forget Strauss: Trotsky-cons as the new conspirators. On presidential lies and war. Jonah Goldberg keeps the nudity tasteful and integral to the plot. From The Washington Times, inside politics. And Instapundit gets a little competition

[Jun 11] From Australia, on the rise and fall of the Third Way. From the Philippines, on the problem with today's rhetoric. Why Liberation Theology is not dead. Eugene Volokh on federal funding for historical--though religious--sites. (Check out his blog, too.) Michael Kinsley on capitalism and democracy. And meet Ivan Prokopchuk, a street philosopher still pursued by The Hat People

[Jun 10] From Saudi Arabia, the complete conspiracy, all just one click away. From India, a cultural theory conference shifts consciousness. On ideological imports in the Middle East. Americans reduced to expecting deceit. Can prejudice ever be praised? Yet more on Strauss. And Ray Thomas is cuttin' through the bull, with a little help from Hegel

[Jun 9] From Mauritania, a coup attempt, from Ghana, can nations be democratically addicted to coups?, and from Gambia, on Africa and globalization. Does Pat Robertson care that the UN has indicted Charles Taylor? A future United States of Europe? Hardly... Cutler and Simpson on constitutional crises, and some support. And Jenny Strauss Clay speaks out

[Jun 6] Things are getting a little too complicated: Neo- conservatives are a front for Islamists, and on the parallels between the Matrix and Strauss. Foucault as a phylotyrannical intellectual. Isn't knowledge a useful thing? Middle East hatred is more than politics. Why corporations are not governments. And it's obvious Jayson Blair never read Sartre

[Jun 5] From France, a new wave of strikes. Bush caught on camera. On compassionate conservatism as a political philosophy. Why the drug laws don't work. On the partnership between Slate and NPR. The worst threat to religion is religion itself. And if you happen to live in the Netherlands, don't have more than two kids

[Jun 4] The Future of the European Union: The draft of the proposed constitution for Europe is out pdf. A look at British and European papers. Or are they all muted? The draft is met with skepticism and a debate ensues. Time Europe reports on what they're fighting about, Europhobia, and the problem with God. And reports from the BBC, the IHT, and Al-Jazeerah

[Jun 3] From Europe, Habermas and Derrida speak of promoting Enlightenment values. From Nigeria, a nation refuses to commit suicide. Some required reading for conservatives. The Guardian on global institutions and competition with the US, making a vice out of virtue, and is fox-hunting similar to rape? Ask yourself WWPD? Santorum tells graduates to rebel against the culture. And Muslims, wake up! Philosophers can have pretty Pakistani wives and husbands

[Jun 2] From Nigeria, on the spiritual foundations of political economy. Joseph Nye on American Empire. On Shakespeare and the Spice Girls. What makes someone hate, with politics and religion? Today's liberals as the Puritans of yesteryear. If you were born on May 31, you are a philosopher. Is business ethics an oxymoron? And a new Revelation: Jesus was gay

[Jun 30] From The Nation, on humanitarian intervention, on Amitai Etzioni--"a liberal mugged by community"--and Eric Foner on affirmative action. From The Dirty Rag, on the tyranny of centrism, and female genital mutilation. On class struggles and citizenship issues in Puerto Rico, USA. Should Christians convert Muslims? On K Street lobbying and the Republican Party. A history of cartography: A review of The Mapmakers. And who are the 10 greatest cultural figures of the 20th century?

[Jun 27] Jacob Levy of Chicago on constitutional changes in Britain. Understanding US-European relations. The world according to ABC's John Stossel. The real clash of civilizations: Jefferson was a crypto-Nazi. On the arts and cultural diversity. On the pain of living in the present world. Psst!, the end of Western civilization is near. And on the WSF as a Fifth International, and balancing your diet on Oreos, coconuts, apples and bananas

[Jun 26] A study of Book I of Hume's Treatise of Human Nature. A Belgrade Spring is happening, but what went wrong in the first place? Tony Blair: Marxist, or more like Il Duce? Wired on the shape of things to come, a skeptical guide to doomsday, and solving planet-wide problems (scroll down). Is Jane Jacobs a libertarian, and should the old guild system be brought back? And views about the affirmative action ruling, from Writ, Salon, Slate, Reason, and Frontpage

[Jun 25] From The Globalist, on Islam and social science research, regionalism vs. globalism, and should English be the official language of the US? Both Milton Friedman and George Monbiot admit they were wrong. On violence in liberal political theory. From Saudi Arabia, addressing the West with the cultural model. Can the World Social Forum amount to something? From Counterpunch, metaphysics as a guide to murder, and on human worth in Bush's America (and a follow-up). And robots without a cause

[Jun 24] From The Chronicle of Higher Education, seeing red in Philip Foner, America: Love it and leave it, and they call this guy Dr. Sex. A review of Pierre Hadot's What is Ancient Philosophy? On the selling of the Iraq War, and a note on Habermas and Derrida (scroll down). A critical introduction to Slavoj Zizek, a look at Thomas Kuhn, and four volumes on Richard Rorty. Anatol Lieven on how The Empire Strikes Back. And on the EU's proposed constitution, by the Economist and the BBC

[Jun 23] From The New Atlantis inaugural issue, an editorial, the paradox of conservative bioethics, and the rise and fall of sociobiology. From Open Democracy, on American Empire and global democracy, and on European referenda and regional migration. From Forward, on the separation of mosque and state, the Enlightenment and Judaism, and post-straight performance poetry. And will economics go the way of political science?

[Jun 20] A new book rethinks Kant's Aesthetics. The Economist takes on Strauss. On putting the final nail in the coffin for the DEA propaganda. From The Public Interest, a genealogy of anti-Americanism and the Black faculty gap. On why men strive for status. Marvin Olasky on declaring independence. On the books of revolution, and are Somali immigrants taking over the US? A Christian critique of ideology. And the mind is making a comeback

[Jun 19] A review of John Kekes' The Art of Life. Book Reviews in Foreign Affairs: The Mind and the Market, Strong Religion, and European Integration 1950-2002, and on why the UN is not dead. Paul Johnson on the Empire for Liberty and Edward Said on the roadmap in the Middle East. Strauss was right: It is dangerous to be a philosopher. Should the War on Terror move to Brazil? And from the Financial Times, on globalization, intra-European immigration, and A. C. Grayling on Bernard Williams

[Jun 18] From The Dissident inaugural issue, an editorial, Jeffrey Friedman on Rawls and Nozick, and globalization vs. capitalism. Why liberals think conservatives are stoopid. From the IMF, assessing the role of institutions in economic development, Jeffrey Sachs on the role of geography, and sustainable development pdf. Der Spiegel on the administrative power. A review of books by Theda Skocpol and Ian Shapiro. And how Biola University will dominate philosophy programs in the future

[Jun 17] There's a revolution from within political science. A review of Paul Weithman's Religion and the Obligations of Citizenship. It's no wonder the US is feeling truculent. Two Independent reviews of The Age of Consent. On environmental colonialism, de Jasay's Justice and its Surroundings, and the shadow constitution since Lincoln. Who's got the power in these times? What's next in Jewish studies? And a speech by Bill Moyers

[Jun 16] Timothy Garton Ash on the banality of the good. Michael Lind on the European origins of American democracy. The War on Iraq as a turning point in politics. A critique of Progress. From Spiked, on political legitimacy , political malaise, and political gravitas. On the growth of 'TV studies.' What does technology mean? On the rich inheritance from Aquinas. And Bad Subjects reviews of Parecon: Life After Capitalism, and Tom Nairn's Pariah

[Jun 13] From the NYRB, on God's Houses, and more by Clifford Geertz. An American Agenda for Iraq: Democracy without Islam, and is Adam Michnik a traitor to the Left? Where's the humanity in the social sciences? Niall Ferguson asks, "What is power?" Crisis magazine on the dark side of the European Union. Why didn't the US just target Saddam himself?, and would Jesus join the EU? And ask Dr. Dollar about the budget

[Jun 12] From Philosopher's Magazine, on the human/animal divide, an interview with Donald Davidson, and philosophers and the War on Iraq. From Writ, on rebellious judges, and John Dean asks, "Is lying about WMD an impeachable offense?" Saudi Arabia, between radicalism and reform. On US national security for the 21st century, and a response. And oh, to be in (Imperial) England

[Jun 11] A review of Adam Smith's Marketplace of Life. Introducing neoconservatism. Jean-Francois Revel joins a symposium on the Death of France. (and part 2). Jos� Ortega y Gasset as a first class conservative. Alan Wolfe reviews Diversity in America. Samir Amin on the American Ideology. On personal experiences on the job market: "Don't go to grad school." And BudBoy007 on pleasure as the essence of man

[Jun 10] From Monthly Review, what comes after neo - liberalism? Here are 10 objections to Christianity, and how to respond. Political scientists are suffering from schizophrenia. Do democrats need to 'get' religion to win? On the use and abuse of just war theory. Think about Okham's Razor and the problem of evil. And has marriage become an anachronism?

[Jun 9] From The New York Times, on prospect theory, on economics at NYU, and an editorial on abusive detentions. How Emerson can change your life. The Office as a cultural happening. Is the US losing its grip on power? Descartes makes a comeback of sorts: I feel, therefore I am and, I think, therefore I write. The AAUP as a lobby for the Left. And Slavoj Zizek on The Matrix as a blueprint for the Left

[Jun 6] Is moral progress possible? Do philosophers have normative expertise? Is revolutionary vanguardism over? Thomas Sowell on Utopia versus the US. On anti- anti- Americanism. Is Bush a modern-day Metternich? On the cultural road to perdition and the restorationist rebellion. And on conservative journalists' dirty little secret

[Jun 5] From Logos, a review of Globalism: The New Market Ideology, and a conversation with Peter Singer. A review of Ian Hacking's Historical Ontology. On debunking Edward Said. From Frontpage, on throwing hissy fits at conservatives, and a look at Howard Zinn. On Chesterton and Aristotle. And you have got to feel sorry for God these days

[Jun 4] The Future of the European Union: EU Commission head Romano Prodi doesn't like it. Big states are accused of a power grab. Will it create a new country? Will it create a new USSR? There will be future problems over ratification. Valery Giscard d'Estaing rejects a no-change option, while businesses fear him. And a look at constitution- making around the world

[Jun 3] Iris Young on social justice and political responsibility, and Larry Diamond on the prospects for universal democracy. Open Democracy on two types of fundamentalism, and are the world�s indigenous people ancestors or contemporaries of the rest of mankind? Is public opinion 'radically middle'? Two more articles on Strauss. On God and social science. Does Iraq show we need a state? And an anonymous author (and spy) on Bin Laden

[Jun 2] Dissent on Europe: Remorse and Exhaustion, and what William Bennett doesn't understand about patriotism. Risk management for you, me and Argentina. On the history and future of the American Left. Matt Ridley on what makes you who you are. On the trouble with globalism. In defense of cowboy culture. And an article on profs with blogs

[Jun 30] D. G. Wright (Erindale): Rousseau's Confessions: The Tragedy of Teleology. Nelson A. Pichardo (CWU): Social Movement Theories and the Future: An Examination of the Works of Alvin Toffler. Parama Roy (UC - Riverside): At home in the world? The gendered cartographies of globality. A lecture by Etienne Balibar on Europe: Vanishing Mediator. And a report on Running the Planet from the Royal Institute of International Affairs pdf.

[Jun 27] Christopher Achen (Michigan) and Larry Bartels (Princeton): Ignorance and Bliss in Democratic Politics: Party Competition with Uninformed Voters pdf. Brian Fay (Wesleyan): Unconventional History pdf. Tyler Cowen (George Mason): When Are We Being Too Utopian? pdf. From Practical Philosophy, an article on existential anxiety and existential joy. And a recently-defended dissertation from MIT: The Causal and the Moral

[Jun 26] From the SASE 2003 Conference, Sun-Ki Chai (Hawaii), The Many Flavors of Rational Choice (and the Fate of Sociology); Gr�goire Mallard (Cachan), Bridging Culture and Rationality: Four Modes of Explanation in Economic Sociology; and Dick Stanley: The Three Faces of Culture: Why culture is a strategic good requiring government policy attention pdf. And Bernard Williams on philosophy as a humanistic discipline

[Jun 25] Richard Eldridge (Swarthmore): Political Theory, Political Science, and Political Judgment: Wittgenstein and the Conversation of Justice doc. From the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a working paper on Liberalization and Democracy: Understanding Arab Political Reform. Some old Britannica entries: Liberalism by Max Lerner, Socialism by George Bernard Shaw. And a review essay on Marxism and human nature

[Jun 24] From Globalization, Lucky O. Imade (Shaw): The Two Faces of Globalization: Impoverishment or Prosperity?, and Mikhail Beliaev (Saratov State): Democracy and Globalization: Sources of Discontent. From Markets & Morality, Amir Horowitz (OUI): Ronald Dworkin's Group Fetishism, and D. Eric Schansberg (Indiana - New Albany): Common Ground Between the Philosophies of Christianity and Libertarianism. And an essay on the cultural influences on personality

[Jun 23] John Rothfork (NAU): Postmodern Ethics: Richard Rorty & Michael Polanyi. Glen Staszewski (Michigan State): Rejecting the Myth of Popular Sovereignty and Applying an Agency Model to Direct Democracy. An essay on human rights and national sovereignty. A Heritage research report on why Congress should ignore radical feminist opposition to marriage. And a political philosophy manifesto

[Jun 20] Nadia Urbinati (Columbia): Can Cosmopolitical Democracy Be Democratic? Philippe Van Parijs (Louvain): The Ground Floor of The World: On the Socio-economic Consequences of Linguistic Globalization pdf. Get your purple patches from Michael Walzer, Karl Popper, Ralf Dahrendorf, H. L. Mencken, Albert Hirschman, and I. F. Stone. And a certain 'Zoe Mitchell' on a critique of consensus process (and chapter 1, chapter 2, and chapter 3)

[Jun 19] Avner De-Shalit (HUJ): Where Philosophy Meets Politics: The Concept of the Environment pdf. Elizabeth Frazer of Oxford on what is politics today. A report from the World Bank on democracy and local participation pdf. From Fathom, democracy and state bureaucracy; state, market and civil society; and rational choice theory and irrational motivations. A mathematician reads Social Text. And from the Library of Congress, the world of Hannah Arendt

[Jun 18] Suzanne Berger (MIT): Globalization and Politics pdf. Frank R. Ankersmit (Groningen): Representational Democracy: An Aesthetic Approach to Conflict and Compromise. Saskia Sassen on citizenship destabilized, and an essay on the challenge of liberal education. From The Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory, a special issue on the future of theory, and an introduction. And on why nature isn't necessarily superior to human technology, and have banana peel, will travel

[Jun 17] Joseph Raz (Oxford): Can there be a theory of law? doc. Ira Katznelson (Columbia): Periodization and Preferences: Reflections on Purposive Action in Comparative Historical Social Science pdf. Matthew H. Kramer (Cambridge): Why Freedoms Do Not Exist by Degrees pdf. And an essay by a grad student at Brown: Islam and Globalization: Secularism, Religion, and Radicalism

[Jun 16] A 'Khoraography' for Jacques Derrida: Geoffrey Barrington (Sussex): Double Tounging: Derrida's Monolingualism and Robert Bernasconi (Memphis): Whose Death is it anyway? Philosophy and the Cultures of Death. Edwin Amenta (NYU) and Michael Young (Texas): Democratic States and Social Movements pdf. And interviews with Will Hutton, Lew Rockwell, and Theda Skocpol (scroll down)

[Jun 13] Book reviews: A libertarian look at Carl Schmitt; on Mark Tushnet's A New Constitutional Order, and an introduction to law and social theory; a book on St. Augustine; who paid for secularization?; Marx for a post-Communist era; on what government can do, and why it fails pdf; on the rise of Western Christendom, and on humor and politics in Late Antiquity; and Habermas on human nature

[Jun 12] From Epoch�: A Journal for the History of Philosophy, Giorgio Agamben (Verona): The Time That is Left, R�mi Brague (Paris I): History of Philosophy as Freedom, and Klaus Held (Wuppertal): The Origin of Europe with the Greek Discovery of the World pdf. A free book: Gary North, Marx's Religion of Revolution: Regeneration Through Chaos (1989). And an essay on morality and the law

[Jun 11] Frances Myrna Kamm (NYU): Failures of Just War Theory: Terror, Harm, and Justice pdf. Filip Kovacevic (Missouri): From The Prince to The Modern Prince: The Political Significance of the Doctrine of Raison d'Etat pdf. Ronald de Sousa reviews Sober and Wilson's Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior. And a dialogue on African Philosophy at the Turn of the Millennium

[Jun 10] From the University of London's Workshop on Modern Philosophy, Anthony Savile (King's): Spinoza, Medea and Irrationality in Action and V�ronique Mu�oz - Dard� (UCL): Decision Under Plurality: Rousseau's General Will pdf. Wouldn't you know it? Baudrillard strikes again. And an article on the symbolism of the Soviet coat of arms

[Jun 9] Jens Timmermann (St. Andrews): The Gentle Yoke of Reason: How Demanding is Kantian Ethics?, and Why Kant Could not Have been a Utilitarian. Shaun Baker (UM- Dearborn): Socrates, Philosophy and Hubris: Did Socrates Believe Philosophy is Impossible? And some papers delivered at the 1995 Versions of Freedom conference

[Jun 6] Christopher Robinson: How to Do Things With Wittgenstein. Dan Reiter (Emory): Why NATO Enlargement Does Not Spread Democracy. Leonard Springer et. al.: Attitudes toward Campus Diversity: Participation in a Racial or Cultural Awareness Workshop. And J. R. Lucas writes in The Philosophical Quarterly on the philosophy of the reasonable man

[Jun 5] Adam Davidow (Santa Cruz): Gadamer: The Possibility of Interpretation. Lyn Spillman (Notre Dame): Enriching Exchange: Cultural Dimensions of Markets. Hans Bernhard Schmid (St. Gallen): Rationality -in- relations. An article on the relation between Carl Schmitt and democracy. And on philosophy as a blood sport

[Jun 4] The Future of the European Union: In Britain, Tony Blair calls for a national debate, and 10 Downing Street issues a press release. Former PM John Major says no. Should there be a referendum? The Economist says Blair is on the wrong side of the argument, while Timothy Garton Ash says Blair should take up the challenge. And the Daily Mail stages a referendum of its own

[Jun 3] A debate from the journal The Good Society, Richard Epstein on Norms: Social and Legal, a response by William Galston, and a postscript. Robert Bellah on Community Properly Understood: A Defense of "Democratic Communitarianism" and Robert Selznick: Social Justice: A Communitarian Perspective. And from the American Humanist, Frederick Edwords on The Human Basis of Laws and Ethics: Without God, how can you be moral?

[Jun 2] Bob Plant (Aberdeen): Pluralism, Justice and Human Vulnerability: Misappropriations of Wittgenstein. Bruce Curtis (Carleton): Foucault on Governmentality and Population: The Impossible Discovery. Julia Annas (Arizona): The Structure of Virtue. And Harper's Magazine on Andrea Palladio and the science of happiness

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