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Political
Philosophy is concerned with all these questions and many more.
It is about good government – what it involves, how it is
regulated and how it is brought about. It is about the
principles that help us to decide whether or not any particular
government is to be judged good or bad. And, of course, that
requires an examination of the fundamental principles of
government – why we need it, what its goals should be, how it is
to be regulated and how, if it goes wrong, it may be repaired or
replaced.
from the Introduction to TY
Political Philosophy
I never thought I'd
be grateful to The Daily Telegraph! But here we are in
the midst of a political revolution in the House of Commons, the
ethical questions about expenses and about the ability of the
House to keep its expenses rather private, instead of opening
them up to public scrutiny, has opened up the whole discussion
about representation in a democracy. I suspect that part of the
anger about claiming for cleaning a moat, or for refurbishing a
London flat and ordering two massive televisions systems for
different homes by 'flipping' homes as easily as one might flip
between channels on the televisions themselves, is that most
people just cannot identify with that lifestyle. I don't pay
thousands of pounds for gardening, or cleaning, nor do I have a
moat around my country house - so how can those people really
represent my interests in Parliament?
The House of Commons
should reflect the concerns and interests of ordinary people.
Good constituency MPs do that through their surgeries and
through keeping their ear very much to the ground. In order that
all that good work is not to be overlooked in a wave of
cynicism, it is important that the system of parliamentary
democracy should be above reproach.
That implies both
fair remuneration for MPs, so that you do not have to have to be
wealthy in order to qualify, and a genuine use of the House of
Commons as a debating chamber that can make a difference to
legislation - not an inconvenience to the operating of the
executive.
Let's hope the
present crisis brings about some fundamental re-thinking of how
we operate a representative democracy in a way that is genuinely
representative of the people, and done in a way that is fully
transparent - both in terms of remuneration and expenses, but
also in terms of the way in which legislation is presented and
debated in Parliament.
Mel
Thompson, May 2009
Book suggestion...
To me, the best political
philosophy is directly engaged with the global issues of
today. Fukuyama originally, with his The End of History, took the view that the democratic
agenda was in effect the only show in town, and that
everyone really wanted the benefits of democracy, although
some nations would be slower in achieving it than others.
One of his more recent books, America at the Crossroads,
published in 2006, challenges his earlier assumptions (which were in line with
the neo-conservative agenda in the US) and examines
America's place in the world. Fundamental issues here,
presented in a way that is both readable and challenging.
For those who are (or who are
thinking about) taking a course in Politics, or taking a
Political Philosophy module within a Philosophy Course, there
are a good range of books to develop ideas outlined in the Teach
Yourself book. Here are some suggestion...
To those coming new to political
philosophy, there are some good general introductions. David
Miller's very short introduction is readable and a good way of
stimulating interest, while Wolff and Kymlicka are rather
more substantial as student texts.
Two other useful books for students
are Adam Swift's Contemporary Political Philosophy, and
Michael White's Political Philosophy: an historical
introduction.
Most books on political
philosophy head straight into the fundamental concepts, but my
preference is for getting a good historical perspective first.
Hence I find the Michael White introduction particularly useful.
With all introductions to a subject,
however, you get the attempt at a balanced view and a broad
overview - that's what they are for. But for me, it is the classic texts that
give the best feeling for how philosophers throughout the
centuries have tackled political issues. Here you find polemic
as well as balanced reason - thinkers who are keen to make a
point and address an issue of the day. Like Marx, they wanted to
change the world as much as comment on it. Here are some of my
personal favourites...
But where do you start with these?
My choice would be to read either Mill's On Liberty,
or Machiavelli's The Prince. They are utterly different
from one another, yet both deal with issues that are absolutely
central to an enquiring approach to politics. Machiavelli is
generally portrayed as cynical and as supporting the idea of a
ruler who is quite without moral sensitivity. That's not really
fair. What he is doing is looking at what is required of a ruler
if the defence and integrity of a state is to be his (he
wouldn't have considered a 'her' at that time) primary aim. This
is wry questioning of the real world of power politics - removed
from our own by the centuries that have intervened, but relevant
for all that.
On Liberty sets the liberal
agenda, from that great utilitarian and campaigner for freedom
and for the rights of women.
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