The Political Theory of Political Thinking: The Anatomy of a Practice

358 Pages·2013·1.71 MB·English

by  Michael Freeden

THE POLITICAL THEORY OF POLITICAL THINKING
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The Political Theory of
Political Thinking
The Anatomy of a Practice
MICHAEL FREEDEN
1
3
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Contents
Acknowledgements x
Introduction 1
1. Thinkingpolitically 3
2. Pathsnottaken 6
3. Themissioninmethod 9
4. Apreliminarynoteon‘realism’ 18
1. TheorizingaboutPoliticalThinking 22
1. Thefinalityquestofpolitics 22
2. Pinpointingthepolitical 25
3. Politicaltheory:olderandnewercontenders 29
4. Thinkingpoliticallyanditsfeatures 33
5. Competingmethodologies 36
6. Changingconceptionsofthepolitical:Thepopular
andtheprofessional 39
7. Consensusmeetsconflict 45
8. Politicaltheoryandpoliticalscience 48
9. Theorizingaboutmainstreampractices 51
10. Fragmentation,division,obfuscation:Thepolitical
confrontsindeterminacy 54
a. ‘Real’politics 55
b. Thedemocraticmission 57
c. Disruptingthe‘political’? 63
2. Language,Emotion,andPoliticalThought 67
1. Beyondlogosandlogic 67
2. Theinterpretativeflexibilitiesoflanguage 69
3. Linguisticpluralismsandsemanticinterconnections 79
4. Theemotionalityofthinkingpolitically 84
3. TheArroganceofPolitics 92
1. Finalityastemporality 93
a. ThepoliticalasGodly 93
b. EarthlyGods:echoingthe‘bigbang’ofpolitics 100
c. Thesecularoriginary 102
d. Thecaseofnationalistideology 107
2. Thespatialparcellingofcompetences 110
a. Thediscursivemanagementofsocialconduct 110
b. Drawingtheline 114
viii Contents
3. Sovereignty,authority,andlegitimacy 119
a. Thecompellingubiquityofsovereignty 119
b. Authorityandlegitimacy:thepursuitofpoliticalgravitas 126
4. RankingandtheDistributionofSignificance 132
1. Thechoiceofvaluesandthevalueofchoice 132
2. Rights:therankingdeviceparexcellence 139
3. Thechimeraofincommensurability? 145
4. Zero-sumintractability:thecaseofabortion 150
5. Choiceversuslife:anAmericanstory 157
6. TheDanishcartoons 160
7. Anoteonurgency 162
8. Emotionsandranking 164
5. TheScrambleforAcceptance:MobilizingandWithholding
Support 166
1. Conceptualizingsupport 166
2. Thesemanticlimitationsofpoliticalobligation 171
3. Generality,asymmetry,supremacy 175
4. Levelsanddefencesof(dis)obligation 178
5. Alternativeterminologiesofsupport 180
6. Commitmentandloyalty 184
7. Supportastrust 190
8. Themorphologicalcomplexityofsupport:professional
andvernacularperspectives 194
9. Ceremonialperformativityasalanguageofsupport 197
6. Stability,Order,andDisruption:DiscoursesofBalance
andContention 200
1. Diggingunderstability 200
2. Orderanddisorder 205
3. Politicalorderandcoherence 206
4. Stabilityandinstability 211
5. StabilityinAmerica 214
6. Fournormativegenres 216
a. Constitutions 217
b. Deliberativedemocracy 219
c. Reasonablestability 222
d. Theethicsoforder 224
7. Theorderofdisorder 226
8. Negotiatingtowardsstability 229
Contents ix
7. VisionsandPrescriptions:TemptationsandFailures
ofPoliticalThinking 236
Partone:Livinginthefuture 236
1. Untroddentrajectories 236
2. Planningaspromiseandinspiration 241
3. Scienceandutopia 248
Parttwo:Endemicfailuresofpoliticalthinking 250
1. Threecriteriaoffailure 250
2. Theasymmetryoffailureandsuccess 255
3. Uncontrollableandabsenttemporaltrajectories 258
4. Thelimitsofdeterminacy 264
5. Theelusivenessofinclusiveness 268
6. Normalizingfailure:fromconservativefatalismtoliberal
epistemology 272
8. PowerPatternsandPowerSurges:OrganizingandIntensifying
SpeechActs 277
1. Theimmanentpoweroflanguage 277
2. Performativespeechacts 283
3. Reasonandreasoning 287
4. Rhetoric 290
5. Emotion 294
6. Menaceandthreats 297
7. Refacingpower 300
8. Pastintensities 304
9. Rankingandintensity 306
10. Non-verbalpower:anote 308
Epilogue 310
Bibliography 317
Index 339