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© 2019 Michael A. Richards ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2019 Michael A. Richards ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DYSTOPOPHOBIA: AVERSION TO THE WORST IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF THOMAS HOBBES, EDMUND BURKE, AND KARL POPPER By MICHAEL A. RICHARDS A dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Political Science Written under the direction of Andrew R. Murphy And approved by _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey October 2019 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Dystopophobia: Aversion to the Worst in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, Edmund Burke, and Karl Popper by MICHAEL A. RICHARDS Dissertation Director: Andrew R. Murphy Political theorists generally proceed by proposing ideal principles and utopian visions for society. Against this prevailing trend, this dissertation explores the possibility of political theory oriented around avoiding dystopia. Through an analysis of Thomas Hobbes, Edmund Burke, and Karl Popper – three Anglophone political theorists whose political theory shares an “aversional” quality – this dissertation asks, what in the moral, social, and political theory of these three thinkers explains and justifies their emphasis upon avoiding bad outcomes and human misery, rather than searching for ideals of justice and utopia? What philosophical and political beliefs, concepts, or strings of argument shared by these thinkers make their theories effectively focused upon avoiding bad outcomes? This dissertation sketches a dystopophobic family resemblance shared between the three. At the core of this resemblance is the identification of an asymmetry between goodness and badness, and a conceptualization of political matters operating at two levels: 1) at level of society and the structures and institutions that organize society to avoid dystopia; and, 2) ii the level of the individual within society whose life can go better or worse. This bifurcation manifests in a tension between the emancipatory urge to improve the condition of the worst off in society with a conservative eye still firmly fixed on protecting the stabilizing elements in the polity that protect against dystopian political disintegration. iii Acknowledgments My first thanks go to Andy Murphy who has undoubtedly been the best academic midwife one could ask for as I produced this work. His care and generosity whilst reading and helpfully commenting on each chapter – often more than once – has improved this work considerably. His help has extended far beyond this dissertation: Andy was a primary reason I chose to come to Rutgers; he has been instrumental in securing me funding both within and outside of the department; and, he both prompted and helped in the publication of my other research. Thank you also to Dennis Bathory and Lisa Miller for serving on my dissertation committee, and for your teaching and support as I studied here. Not only did Bruce Haddock serve as the outside reader for this dissertation, but he also was my dissertation chair for my undergraduate and masters degrees. I have no doubt that his infectious enthusiasm for the subject has played no small role in my apparent decision to dedicate my life to reading political theory. Indeed, I would like to thank the entire political theory faculty at Cardiff University, along with Matt Murray and Camilla Boisen for their part in this formative period in my life. Shatema Threadcraft read and provided helpful feedback on the proposal for this dissertation. Thank you also to Noah Eber-Schmid who has always lent a patient ear whilst discussing this dissertation as we made our way around the country on the conference circuit. This dissertation was also considerably assisted by the support of a University and Louis Bevier Dissertation Fellowship. iv From as far back as I can recall Glyn and Christine Richards have encouraged my academic interests and provided me with the best start to life one could ever ask for. It is surely impossible to express my gratitude to them in words, so instead I try to show my love and make them proud by being the best father I can be to Maud and Colette who, paradoxically, both dramatically increased the amount of time it took to complete this work while simultaneously spurring me to finish as quickly as possible. Finally, my deepest and most especial love and gratitude goes to Laure who for the last decade has been beside me through my studies and has led me across continents to a new world of exciting opportunities I never could have imagined without her. I cannot wait for the next ten years. Bisous. v Dedication For Laure, whose love and support has enriched my life and work beyond measure. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION ........................................................................... ii Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. iv Dedication ........................................................................................................................... v Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 I. Perilous Times; Pressing Questions ......................................................................................... 1 II. Dystopophobia ........................................................................................................................ 5 III. Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 16 IV. Outline of the Text .............................................................................................................. 21 Chapter Two: Literature Review ...................................................................................... 26 I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 26 II. Utopia and Dystopia ............................................................................................................. 26 III. Aversional Thinking Beyond Political Theory .................................................................... 39 IV. Aversional Thinking in Political Theory ............................................................................. 42 V. Dystopophobia and Political Theory Methodology .............................................................. 70 VI. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 78 Chapter Three: Dystopophobia in the Ancient World ...................................................... 79 I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 79 II. Dystopia and Dystopophobia in the Mediterranean ............................................................. 80 III. Rome .................................................................................................................................. 102 IV. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 114 Chapter Four: Hobbes ..................................................................................................... 116 vii I. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 116 II. The State of Nature ............................................................................................................. 119 III. Creating the State .............................................................................................................. 143 IV. Language, Dystopia, and the Valence of Words ............................................................... 156 V. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 179 Chapter Five: Burke ........................................................................................................ 182 I. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 182 II. Burke’s View of Society and Humankind .......................................................................... 184 III. The Ideas Undergirding Burke’s Dystopophobia .............................................................. 201 IV. Burke’s Dystopophobia ..................................................................................................... 216 V. Dystopophobia as a Conservative Ideal .............................................................................. 229 VI. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 236 Chapter Six: Popper ........................................................................................................ 238 I. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 238 II. Dystopophobia at Level of Society ..................................................................................... 241
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