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Political Philosophy > Radical Political Philosophy > Flashcards

Radical Political Philosophy Flashcards

1
Q

What are the arguments for: ‘The reason workers don’t revolt against capitalism is not that they are subject to ideological delusion but that revolutions are dangerous.’ Discuss.

A
  1. Ideology
  2. Against Ideology
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2
Q

What is Marx’s theory of ideology?

A

It is a theory that explains the lack of revolution against the capitalist system.
- Consists of passive force from the ruling class.
- The ruling ideas of the dominant class.
- Widely shared.
- Stablise the status quo.

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3
Q

What is commodity fetishism?

A

A big part of ideology.
- We have started to view commodities as intrinsically valuable.

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4
Q

What kind of value do we lose with commodity fetishism?

A

Our intrinsic value as moral agents.

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5
Q

How is commodity fetishism caused?

A

By the seperation between the producers and the product and producers and producers.

By only seeing the relation between commodities (money and some object) we fail to see the the broader relation between producers and ourselves.

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6
Q

How does ideology manifest itself in people?

A

Not as an illusion, but rather society itself is wrong.
- It is not that we are irrational, but we see the world for how it is.
- It is a warped reality.

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7
Q

How does ideology stop us from revolting?

A

It makes it the case that we fail to see that revolution is even an option.

We perceive the status quo as being natural and irrefutable.

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8
Q

What example can we give of how people view the capitalist world as natural?

A

Inflation.

Most people view the phenomenon of inflation almost as a natural law, which we simply observe and have to live with.

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9
Q

What are the two issues with Marx’s ideology?

A
  • Simply a collective action problem?
  • Ideology implies that we are stupid.
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10
Q

What is a collective action problem?

A

That is would be better to work together but due to conflicting interests, they fail to do so.

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11
Q

What is the objection to the counter to the objection that ideology makes us stupid?

A

Us failing to see that the world is wrong still seems to render us stupid.
- How can Marx see it but no one else?

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12
Q

What might Marx claim against the claim that there seems no reason for him to be able to see past the capitalist reality and others cannot?

A

He has dialectical materialism.

This is a tool in order to see the world as it is.

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13
Q

What is Dialectical Materialism and what is it in contrast to?

A

A way of understanding the nature of things as coming about by conflict and interpretable as contradictions and solutions.

Rather than simply being the way they are in a natural way.

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14
Q

How does ideology make us seem stupid?

A

By suggesting that we misunderstand the world for how it actually is.

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15
Q

What is a counter to the objection that ideology makes us stupid?

A

It is not that we see the world wrongly, but that the world is warped and wrong.
- We simply fail to see that it is wrong.

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16
Q

What is the issue with Marx speaking of ideology?

A

How can we know that he isn’t himself within the ideological influence?

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17
Q

What is you conclusion for: ‘The reason workers don’t revolt against capitalism is not that they are subject to ideological delusion but that revolutions are dangerous.’ Discuss.

A
  • Marx seems to be right that power is in almost all aspects of society.
  • However, ideology seems to render us unjustifiably stupid.
  • Why not simply accept collective action problem?
  • Marx himself may be within ideology.
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18
Q

What are the arguments for: ‘The Marxist theory of alienation might have been relevant to Victorian factory world, but it has no relevance to contemporary capitalism.’ Discuss.

A
  1. Alienation
  2. Against Alienation
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19
Q

What is Alienation?

A

The separation betwen a subject and an object that belong together.

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20
Q

What are the four kinds of alienation?

A
  • Alienation from product of labour.
  • Alienation from productive activity.
  • Alienation from other producers.
  • Alienation from human nature.
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21
Q

Which two kinds of alienation come together?

A

Alienation from other producers and Alienation from human nature.

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22
Q

What causes alienation?

A
  • Division of labour.
  • The repetitive non-creative tasks that we are forced to do.
23
Q

What are the core reasons why alienation is wrong?

A
  • It goes against human nature.
  • The product rules over the producer.
  • It stop self-realisation.
24
Q

How does a communist society fix alienation?

A

Workers would not have to do such work, automation would.

25
Q

What are the benefits of the theory of alienation?

A

Explains the wrong of capitalism.
- By categorising it as against human nature.

26
Q

What are the three issues with Marx’s theory of alienation?

A
  • Overestimating the value of fulfilling work?
  • To what extent is society alienated?
  • Does it even exist anymore?
27
Q

In what way may Marx be overestimating the value of unfulfilling work?

A

Much work before capitalism was unfulfilling.
- Unfulfilling work is necessary for survival.

28
Q

To what extent is society alienated?

A

It cannot be completely because much of our current society would be communist too.

29
Q

Does alienation even exist anymore?

A
  • Much of the unfulfilling work Marx was speaking of is now automated.
  • Capitalism is a driving force for this automation.
  • Some may claim that people still need to do unfulfilling work.
  • But as the standard of living increases, so does the standard for fulfilling work.
  • There will always be unfulfilling work.
30
Q

What is your conclusion to: ‘The Marxist theory of alienation might have been relevant to Victorian factory world, but it has no relevance to contemporary capitalism.’ Discuss.

A

Marx’s theory is either ever-present or non-existent.
- If ever-present, then no solution.
- If it is non-existent, then Marx is wrong.

31
Q

What are the arguments for: Should we be ideal theorists?

A
  1. What is Ideal Theory?
  2. Against Ideal Theory
  3. For Ideal Theory
32
Q

What is Ideal Theory?

A

Thinking about political issues in an abstract manner.
- Assumes ideal circumstances.
- Often in moral/normative terms.
- Assumes high-levels of compliance.
- Often fact-insensitive.

Conceiving of a completely just world.

33
Q

What are the two degree of ideal theory?

A

We must have a completed ideal theory to do non-ideal theory.

We must have some successes with ideal theory to do non-ideal theory.

34
Q

What is the relationship between ideal theory and non-ideal theory according to the idealist?

A

That we obviously need non-ideal theory to implement the values in ideal theory.

They simply prioritise ideal theory over non-ideal theory.

35
Q

What are the issues with Ideal Theory as presented by Mills?

A
  • Ideal Theory overlooks real-world issues.
  • We get a silence on oppression.
  • By being silent on oppression, he claims that any principle of justice agreed by idealist theories would be unable to rectify it.

By not speaking about ideology, it itself becomes an ideology.

36
Q

In what ways does ideal theory become an ideology according to Mills?

A

The kind of people that engage in ideal theorising misrepresent the population that suffer.

In the way in which it idealises aspects of society and people, it may unknowingly incorporate ideology.

37
Q

In what crucial way is non-ideal theory better than ideal theory according to Mills?

A

It does not essentialise particular experiences.

38
Q

What are the four problematic features we get from ideal theory?

A
  • Idealised social ontology
  • Silence on oppression
  • Ideal social institutions
  • Assumptions of social transparency
39
Q

What is Political Realism?

A

Argues that politics is its own distinctive political thought.
- Not simply applied morality.
- Against Political Moralism, which much of Ideal Theory is.
- Argues that moral values are ill-suited to guide politics.

40
Q

What is another example of Political Realism?

A

Valuing the institution of democracy in itself and accepting the decision making process.

41
Q

What example does Williams give for Political Realism?

A

Legitimisation:
- States must have a basic legitimation demand.
- The reasons given for legitimacy depends on the times.
- Therefore, they depend on the political context (not moral).

42
Q

What does Rawls argue For Ideal Theory?

A

That it is necessary as it is a prerequisite to non-ideal theory.
- It gives a systematic grasp of issues.

43
Q

In what way is Rawl’s theory Ideal?

A

It is in the veil of ignorance with which we are able to know what a just world is.

44
Q

What example can we use to show that we need ideal theory to do non-ideal theory?

A

We need some theory of how racism is bad in order to know how to solve it.

If we are to not know why racism is bad, we may come to bad solutions to the problem, such as simply making it less apparent.

45
Q

What are the two degrees of the issue with idealism?

A
  • How can the ought from such an abstract theory be action guiding?
  • By being so abstract, idealism gives us an ought that is impossible to act upon (conceptual worry).
46
Q

What is the idealist response to the less extreme non-idealist critique?

A

It is not solely the job of philosophy to determine how to implement principles.

47
Q

What is the ought implies can principle?

A

That if we ought to do something than it must be possible to do it.

48
Q

What is the pushback against the extreme critique against idealism?

A

If we need a possible can from what a principle of justice, then what can we do about injustices that we cannot do anything about?
- Do we simply say it is not something we ought not to do?

49
Q

What is an example of an injustice that we cannot do anything about?

A

Discrimination due to implicit bias does not seem to be stopped by further knowledge of it, sometimes it makes it worse.

All people have it.

It seems impossible to get rid of it.

50
Q

What was G.A.Cohen’s idealist view?

A

That there is only ideal theory and no place for non-ideal theory in a theory of justice.

51
Q

What does Simmons argue For Ideal Theory?

A

That it is needed for long-term reform.

52
Q

What is the problem for non-ideal theorist without ideal theory?

A
  • Non-Ideal Theory wants to solve problems in society.
  • In order to know something is a problem, there must be some normative standard or principle.
  • Without ideal theory, we have no principles in politics.
  • Therefore, we wouldn’t be able to identify problems to solve.
    (How does this apply to Mills’ example?)
53
Q

What is your conclusion for: Should we be ideal theorists?

A

We still need ideal theory.
- They set the standards for non-ideal theory.
- Ideal theory is not good to solve problems, but it helps us understand what are problems by telling us what we do want.
- Therefore we need both.

Political Philosophy (3 decks)

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