POLITICAL SCIENCE 13 Power and Justice

INTRODUCTION Instructor: Tracy B. Strong Office: SSB 374 Office hours: W: 3-4:30,by appt ( ) or drop in Your section person will give out his/her office hours and contact information.

Reading: you are asked to read the works of a number of individuals. How to approach them. These are particular individuals -- political theorists.

Political Theory politics is about the arrangements that people make to live a life in common, that is with others who are not their blood relations. – Implies sharing (having something in common) and thus difference or individuality. (I and you) – I like to think of human activities as answers to questions. Thus: psychology is the answer to the question of what or who am I? Religion to the question of why do I suffer economics to that of how do I get what I want morality to that of what should I do and POLITICS to that of the simultaneous answer to what am I and who are we? (Eg what one is claiming when I says (I take this to be political) “I am an American” – It is thus a claim on others.

What makes something political? I hold a claim that I make to apply to others A. “Eavesdropping on private conversations without a warrant is un-American.” B. “How can you say that? The country is in danger from terrorists.” A.“Well, that is what I feel.” “A’s” response is not political

A. “Eavesdropping on private conversations without a warrant is un-American.” B. “How can you say that? The country is in danger from terrorists.” A. “The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution clearly forbids it.” A’s response is political.

But not resolved B. “In cases like this one the President can make an exception. Lincoln did it during the Civil War.” Now we have an argument, an argument that is political. It cannot be resolved except in the interaction of A and B. Hence politics involves conflict.

Note this difference for a non-political exchange A = 4. B. I think it is 22. A. No – that is a “plus” sign, not some symbol for association. B. Oh, of course! You are right.

And from this one A. I would like to buy that car. B. It really too expensive for you, given your income. A. Nevertheless, I am going to – I really want it. [Or: Damn! I guess you are right.] Here, no claim is made to something common to the two, there is no “I” to “We” claim.

And this one A. Eavesdropping on private conversations without a warrant is un-American. B. Perhaps so, but that is a small price to pay given the danger. – Here, any notion of a common claim (“being American”) is ruled out. B reveals his preference and willingness to pay a price.

What has gone wrong here? King Lear (that one) has in the First Act asked “Which of [our daughters] shall we say does love us most?” and proposed to divide his kingdom accordingly. Cordelia famously refuses the test. Lear banishes her and decides to live alternately with others (Goneril and Regan), taking his very large retinue of knights and retainers with him. The daughters object to the extent of Lear’s retinue. He responds:

LEAR [To GONERIL] I'll go with thee: Thy fifty yet doth double five and twenty, And thou art twice her love. GONERIL Hear me, my lord; What need you five and twenty, ten, or five, To follow in a house where twice so many Have a command to tend you? REGAN What need one? KING LEAR O, reason not the need: our basest beggars Are in the poorest thing superfluous: Allow not nature more than nature needs, Man's life's as cheap as beast's:… Act II, sc. 4

What is theory? THEORY is derived from the Greek word theoros - spectator, often a delegate from one city to another to observe their rituals. – Theory is seeing, getting it. “Oh! I see.” And KNOWING what it is that you have gotten in such a way that you can make it available to yourself and to others. POLITICAL THEORY is thus understanding about politics: most generally about what humans try to do when they live a life with others. These political Theorists are central to who we are, i.e. to how we understand ourselves when we live in a political matter. – Who is “we” -- explain. -- anyone who finds these voices in him or her or rejects them. -- provocation as modality of knowing

Political Theory 1/ who is “we”? What do we find out about about “we”? – E.g. of property 2/ how do we study this in this course? classic texts literary texts (give us a world) scholarly analyses theory in practice(court cases)

Power 1. power to make a decision 2. power to set an agenda 3. power to control what counts as a contestable item

Justice…