1. Justice as Politics History of Political Thought Spring 2006

2. Central Claim Reaching agreement on basic principles of justice is a political rather than a philosophical act. Nonetheless, it is always better to count heads than to break them, so it’s worthwhile to try to reach peaceful resolution of our disputes.

3. Justice as Politics: Overview 1.Three Levels of Political Discourse 2.Politics of Justice 3.Justice as Politics

4. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level 1 Provides answers to “Deep” questions concerning the basics of political life: For example: What is justice? Do rights exist?

5. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level 2 Supplies the content to the concepts agreed upon in Level One For example : If rights exist, what rights do we possess?

6. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level 3 Identifies the specific applications of the content agreed to in Level 2 For example: If we have right to practice any religion we choose, can I open the First Church of the Holy Herb?

7. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level One Level Three Level Two

8. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level One Level Three Level Two

9. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level One Level Three Level Two

10. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level One Level Three Level Two Which raises the question …

11. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level One Level Three Level Two How do we reach agreement at each of these levels?

12. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level One Level Three Level Two Persuasion? For example: Slavery? American independence? Occassionally that can be successful

13. I. 3 Levels of Political Debate Level One Level Three Level Two Persuasion?Coercion!

14. II. Politics of Justice Which view eventually triumphs will be a function of political might rather than of philosophical rigor. Political “might” or “coercion” need not rest entirely on physical force Other sources of coercion?

15. II. Politics of Justice Political Power has a variety of components: Physical power Economic power Psychological power

16. II. Politics of Justice In a domestic political context, psychological power is likely the most important and most powerful But in an international context, it is the least powerful Psychological power rests on agreements at Level One and Level Two

17. II. Politics of Justice In our search for international justice, economic and military power become the main tools to coerce compliance to a given standard of justice For example: Turkey and the E.U. Iran & WMD

18. II. Politics of Justice Survey different political systems at different historical periods we see different theories of justice at work

19. II. Politics of Justice If justice had an objective basis – that is, if our understanding of justice could be separated from a political context – we should by now see similar conceptions of justice adopted and applied

20. II. Politics of Justice Whatever international norms that may exist, owe their existence to political might United Nations? International Law? Human Rights?

21. II. Politics of Justice For Example: Al-Qaeda vs. The U.S. Each group articulates a coherent theory of justice Each theory of justice is at odds with the other Resolution of the dispute…

22. II. Politics of Justice

24. Bush and bin-Laden did not debate the virtues of American liberalism vs. those of Islamic fundamentalism

25. II. Politics of Justice They could not debate because they did not share a common political language In the absence of that shared vocabulary, politics takes precedence over rhetoric or rationality

26. III. Justice as Politics What implications follow from this understanding of justice? That is, if justice is a function of politics, does that mean that justice as such no longer exists or loses its power? Can we no longer condemn acts that violate our understanding of justice?

27. III. Justice as Politics Short answer, no Our failure to arrive at an objective standard for our normative claims – to settle Level One and Level Two issues – is not necessarily catastrophic

28. III. Justice as Politics We need to appreciate justice – the rules of our political life – the same way we appreciate the rules of baseball

29. III. Justice as Politics Politics and our political institutions function like the baseball establishment: That is, they provide the rules by which the game should be played and they have the power to enforce compliance

30. III. Justice as Politics When groups seek to challenge our political rules – whether they be criminals, terrorists, or other governments, we may use the political resources we have to enforce and defend those rules …

31. III. Justice as Politics

32. IV. Conclusion In The Politics, Aristotle defines the human species as the zoon politikon or the political animal Too often we focus on the noun and forget the adjective

33. IV. Conclusion We are political animals. While we may lack a transcendent basis for our moral and political beliefs, we do have a forum for defining those beliefs and the institutions for enforcing deviation and defection from those beliefs

34. IV. Conclusion We may condemn from a variety of moral perspectives those social and political practices we find objectionable, But…

35. IV. Conclusion Those practices won’t change unless and until our condemnations inspire political action