DOCSLIB.ORG

Political Deficits: the Dawn of Neoliberal Rationality and the Eclipse of Critical Theory by William Andrew Callison a Disserta

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Political Deficits: the Dawn of Neoliberal Rationality and the Eclipse of Critical Theory by William Andrew Callison a Disserta Political Deficits: The Dawn of Neoliberal Rationality and the Eclipse of Critical Theory By William Andrew Callison A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science and the Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Wendy Brown, Chair Professor Pheng Cheah Professor Kinch Hoekstra Professor Martin Jay Professor Hans Sluga Professor Shannon C. Stimson Summer 2019 Political Deficits: The Dawn of Neoliberal Rationality and the Eclipse of Critical Theory Copyright © 2019 William Andrew Callison All rights reserved. Abstract Political Deficits: The Dawn of Neoliberal Rationality and the Eclipse of Critical Theory By William Andrew Callison Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science and the Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory University of California, Berkeley Professor Wendy Brown, Chair This dissertation examines the changing relationship between social science, economic governance, and political imagination over the past century. It specifically focuses on neoliberal, ordoliberal and neo-Marxist visions of politics and rationality from the interwar period to the recent Eurocrisis. Beginning with the Methodenstreit (or “methodological dispute”) between Gustav von Schmoller and Carl Menger and the subsequent “socialist calculation debate” about markets and planning, the dissertation charts the political and epistemological formation of the Austrian School (e.g., Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich A. von Hayek), the Freiburg School (e.g., Walter Eucken, Wilhelm Röpke, Alexander Rüstow), the Chicago School (e.g., Henry Simons, Milton Friedman, Gary Becker), and the Frankfurt School (e.g., Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, Jürgen Habermas). Combining archival research, textual interpretation, and theoretical reflection on these schools, it shows how critical theorists and political economists battled over the future of capitalism and socialism by redefining state, economy, and subjectivity in terms of their (ir)rationality. It also demonstrates the significance of the Austrian, Freiburg, Chicago and Frankfurt Schools’ free appropriation of Max Weber’s binary typologies, including markets vs. planning, formal calculation vs. substantive values, and rationality vs. irrationality. In turn, the dissertation argues that these and related approaches to political and economic rationalization displaced more radical visions of the political as collective struggle and self-rule—with profound implications for the “anti-political” crises of democracy today. 1 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ii Introduction Political Rationality in the Twentieth Century 1 Chapter 1 The Politics of the Rational: 35 The Austrian School, Max Weber, and the Socialist Calculation Debate Chapter 2 Constructions of Ordoliberal Rationality: 68 The Freiburg School, the Competitive Order, and the Social Question Chapter 3 Mutations of Neoliberal Rationality: 104 The Chicago School, Market Rule, and Crisis Management Chapter 4 The Rational Administration of Things: 124 The Frankfurt School, Weberian Dialectics, and Political Deficits Conclusion Political Deficits in the Twenty-First Century 167 i Acknowledgements This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, whose enduring love and support are what made it possible. My parents have weathered all of my highs and lows with care and humor, and for this I am forever grateful. I would like to thank Sarah and Corey, my sister and brother-in-law, for their bottomless joy and affection, and my Aunt Carol and Uncle Mike, for being such an important and caring presence during my many years in the Bay Area. I am also grateful for the loving hospitality of Dely, Shisho and my abuelita Elenita in Ecuador. And I wish to express my gratitude to Zona Roberts, my 99-year-old landlady and treasured friend, for her tireless activism in the independent living and disability rights movement, her daily wisdom with comedic flair, and her affordable monthly rate on the studio in the back. Wendy Brown has been my teacher, adviser, and dissertation Chair, but also so much more. With deep dedication to her pedagogical and professional craft, she has exemplified the art of illuminating complex texts and of meditating on matters of common concern that is political theory. Through the power of her example, and countless hours of deep and challenging conversation, Wendy has shaped the way I read and think. I am so grateful for this, and for all of her generosity, guidance, and support. My six-member committee not only reflects the interdisciplinary character of my studies at Berkeley, but also the scholars whose thinking and teaching have most influenced my development. Pheng Cheah’s seminars on poststructuralism and materialism were some of my most exhilarating at Berkeley, thanks to his interpretative precision, rigorous questioning, and exacting comments on my work. Kinch Hoekstra has been the very model of a careful reader and thinker, and I have been very fortunate to observe both his historical and Socratic style of inquiry in different fora over the years. Martin Jay’s work has long been an inspiration to me, and working with him at Berkeley has been immensely rewarding. His feedback has vastly improved this work, and our conversations (and disagreements) about Jürgen Habermas have sharpened my thinking on this and other subjects. Hans Sluga has been a valuable and delightful interlocutor, from our summer meetings to discuss Michel Foucault’s lectures to wide-ranging conversations following the 2016 election. Shannon Stimson’s personal and professional support, including a writing workshop she organized for graduate students, was absolutely indispensable during my first years at Berkeley. Michel Feher has been a sort of unofficial outside reader whose insightful feedback has informed and transformed this dissertation. In addition to his deep and sustained engagement with different parts of the manuscript, I would like to thank Michel for the inspiration that is his friendship, his writing, and his thinking. Zachary Manfredi and Milad Odabaei are dear friends and intellectual collaborators who have each shaped this dissertation in ways that are hard to fathom. I would like to thank Zak for our countless late-night conversations, for our shared projects and adventures, and for his own work, which I value deeply. I would like to thank Milad for the friendship that blossomed out of Wendy’s “Marx and Neoliberalism” seminar and grew through “Europe at a Crossroads,” and for his expansive way of thinking and questioning that has always pushed toward the limits of my own. Without Rosie Wagner and Ezra Furman I would be a different person. Rosie has been a guiding light and a brilliant colleague since my first evening in Berkeley. Ezra has been a spiritual guide ever since her arrival just a few months later. Their friendship means the world to me. ii Mathias Poertner’s friendship brightened my time in Berkeley and took me across three continents in our joint travels. I am in Mathias’ debt for so many things from late-night German language practice, to knowledge of German politics, to life-saving airline assistance. I am very lucky to have had Mathias and Danny Choi, two formidable political scientists, as “roommates” willing to field and contest my critiques of social scientific methods. My first years at Berkeley were exciting and eventful thanks to Mathias, Danny, Elsa Massoc, Leo Cohen, Denise van der Kamp, Rhea Myerschough, Shad Turney, Tomas Bril Mascarenhas, and many others in my cohort. Azar Dakwar and Sayres Rudy are the rarest kind of friends, and not just because I met each at conferences. Azar’s big heart and critical mind have been an oasis, and I treasured his semester- long visit in Berkeley. Sayres’ passionate intellect and generous feedback have been true gifts. Thomas Biebricher and Quinn Slobodian’s work on neoliberalism and ordoliberalism was an inspiration for me before I met either of them, and my friendship and collaboration with each has opened new paths of research and reflection. The political theory community at Berkeley has given my work meaning and direction. I was lucky to have Caitlin Tom, Rosie Wagner and Sam Zeitlin in my theory cohort and as my friends. Ali Bond and Nina Hagel warmly welcomed me to campus, offered wise guidance during my early years in the program, and were incredible interlocutors every step of the way. I would also like to thank other political theorists at Berkeley, including Nabil Ansari, Mark Fisher, Geoff Upton, Paul Martorelli, Jack Jackson, Richard Ashcroft, Quinlan Bowman, Nathan Pippenger, and Brian Judge. Jaeyoon Park, a recent arrival and dear friend, has been a delight to think with over the past several years. I would also like to thank my comrades Jay Varellas, Jake Grumbach and Katie Beall for their important work as departmental stewards in our graduate student union. My time at Berkeley was enriched by friendships that began outside of the department and deepened through long conversations on and off campus. I learned so much from, and am so grateful for, friends like Emily O’Rourke, Steve Levay, Jerilyn Sambrooke, Julian Jonker, Mukul Kumar, Kfir Cohen, Ari Edmunson, Tom Gilbert, and Nick Gooding. I am also grateful for the generous support given to me by Berkeley faculty, including Sarah Song, Andrius Galasanka, Steve Vogel, Dan Blanton, Suzanne Guerlac, Judith Butler, and Saba Mahmood. And I am thankful for
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany
    University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM UVM Honors College Senior Theses Undergraduate Theses 2018 Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany William Peter Fitz University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses Recommended Citation Fitz, William Peter, "Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany" (2018). UVM Honors College Senior Theses. 275. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/275 This Honors College Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in UVM Honors College Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REACTIONARY POSTMODERNISM? NEOLIBERALISM, MULTICULTURALISM, THE INTERNET, AND THE IDEOLOGY OF THE NEW FAR RIGHT IN GERMANY A Thesis Presented by William Peter Fitz to The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts In European Studies with Honors December 2018 Defense Date: December 4th, 2018 Thesis Committee: Alan E. Steinweis, Ph.D., Advisor Susanna Schrafstetter, Ph.D., Chairperson Adriana Borra, M.A. Table of Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One: Neoliberalism and Xenophobia 17 Chapter Two: Multiculturalism and Cultural Identity 52 Chapter Three: The Philosophy of the New Right 84 Chapter Four: The Internet and Meme Warfare 116 Conclusion 149 Bibliography 166 1 “Perhaps one will view the rise of the Alternative for Germany in the foreseeable future as inevitable, as a portent for major changes, one that is as necessary as it was predictable.
    [Show full text]
  • The Austrian School in Bulgaria: a History✩ Nikolay Nenovsky A,*, Pencho Penchev B
    Russian Journal of Economics 4 (2018) 44–64 DOI 10.3897/j.ruje.4.26005 Publication date: 23 April 2018 www.rujec.org The Austrian school in Bulgaria: A history✩ Nikolay Nenovsky a,*, Pencho Penchev b a University of Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France b University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria Abstract The main goal of this study is to highlight the acceptance, dissemination, interpretation, criticism and make some attempts at contributing to Austrian economics made in Bulgaria during the last 120 years. We consider some of the main characteristics of the Austrian school, such as subjectivism and marginalism, as basic components of the economic thought in Bulgaria and as incentives for the development of some original theoreti- cal contributions. Even during the first few years of Communist regime (1944–1989), with its Marxist monopoly over intellectual life, the Austrian school had some impact on the economic thought in the country. Subsequent to the collapse of Communism, there was a sort of a Renaissance and rediscovery of this school. Another contribution of our study is that it illustrates the adaptability and spontaneous evolution of ideas in a different and sometimes hostile environment. Keywords: history of economic thought, dissemination of economic ideas, Austrian school, Bulgaria. JEL classification: B00, B13, B30, B41. 1. Introduction The emergence and development of specialized economic thought amongst the Bulgarian intellectuals was a process that occurred significantly slowly in comparison to Western and Central Europe. It also had its specific fea- tures. The first of these was that almost until the outset of the 20th century, the economic theories and different concepts related to them were not well known.
    [Show full text]
  • Framing Through Names and Titles in German
    Proceedings of the 12th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC 2020), pages 4924–4932 Marseille, 11–16 May 2020 c European Language Resources Association (ELRA), licensed under CC-BY-NC Doctor Who? Framing Through Names and Titles in German Esther van den Berg∗z, Katharina Korfhagey, Josef Ruppenhofer∗z, Michael Wiegand∗ and Katja Markert∗y ∗Leibniz ScienceCampus, Heidelberg/Mannheim, Germany yInstitute of Computational Linguistics, Heidelberg University, Germany zInstitute for German Language, Mannheim, Germany fvdberg|korfhage|[email protected] fruppenhofer|[email protected] Abstract Entity framing is the selection of aspects of an entity to promote a particular viewpoint towards that entity. We investigate entity framing of political figures through the use of names and titles in German online discourse, enhancing current research in entity framing through titling and naming that concentrates on English only. We collect tweets that mention prominent German politicians and annotate them for stance. We find that the formality of naming in these tweets correlates positively with their stance. This confirms sociolinguistic observations that naming and titling can have a status-indicating function and suggests that this function is dominant in German tweets mentioning political figures. We also find that this status-indicating function is much weaker in tweets from users that are politically left-leaning than in tweets by right-leaning users. This is in line with observations from moral psychology that left-leaning and right-leaning users assign different importance to maintaining social hierarchies. Keywords: framing, naming, Twitter, German, stance, sentiment, social media 1. Introduction An interesting language to contrast with English in terms of naming and titling is German.
    [Show full text]
  • NATO Expansion: Benefits and Consequences
    University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2001 NATO expansion: Benefits and consequences Jeffrey William Christiansen The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Christiansen, Jeffrey William, "NATO expansion: Benefits and consequences" (2001). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 8802. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/8802 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ■rr - Maween and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The University of M ontana Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. **Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature** Yes, I grant permission X No, I do not grant permission ________ Author's Signature; Date:__ ^ ^ 0 / Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author's explicit consent. MSThe»i9\M«r«f»eld Library Permission Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NATO EXPANSION: BENEFITS AND CONSEQUENCES by Jeffrey William Christiansen B.A. University of Montana, 2000 presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The University of Montana 2001 Approved by: hairpers Dean, Graduate School 7 - 24- 0 ^ Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.
    [Show full text]
  • Alfred Marshall on Big Business
    ALFRED MARSHALL ON BIG BUSINESS Jaques Kerstenetzky1 This paper is about the way Alfred Marshall, the champion of the family-owned and -managed firm, approached the phenomenon which Alfred Chandler considered as the emergence of a new kind of capitalism and enterprise, characterized by the presence of corporations.2 The examination of the theme involves history and theory. And, following Marshall’s judgment that history is not a purely inductive practice, nor is theory a purely deductive one, it is an opportunity for reflecting on the historical and institutional content of Marshall’s perusal of firm's nature, size, organization and coordination. The task includes the identification of some connections among the work of the two Alfreds. The theme inevitably refers to the classical issue of the dilemma of increasing returns and competition. The dilemma will be presented as the theoretical context and will work as a unifying thread through the paper. The paper is organized in two parts. The first part is an introduction to the Marshallian approach on business organization issues. It shall place Marshall’s work into historical context, and characterize Marshall’s work in a way which is different from how he is read and was incorporated into economic theory by mainstream economics. The second part specifically approaches Industry and Trade, the book in which Marshall discussed business organization in depth.3 1. Introduction to Marshall’s work on business organization 1.1 The historical and theoretical context of Marshall’s work on business organization The historical economic context of Marshall’s writings is the second industrial revolution, hatched in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian Lindner Stellt Sich Den Fragen Der Gipfel-Teilnehmer
    05.–07.02.2019 SCHWÄBISCH HALL EXKLUSIV: Christian Lindner stellt sich den Fragen der Gipfel-Teilnehmer Christian Lindner MdB Bundesvorsitzender der Freien Demokraten Aktuelle Informationen unter: weltmarktfuehrer-gipfel.de Mitveranstalter Ideeller Partner Christian Lindner MdB war zum Politischen Power Talk beim Gipfeltreffen der Weltmarktführer 2019 fest eingeplant, musste aus dringenden Gründen aber leider kurzfristig absagen. Fragen an Herrn Lindner konnten die Teilnehmer in Schriftform trotzdem stellen, die er uns im Nachgang gerne beantwortet hat. Lesen Sie nun, was die überwiegend mittelständischen Vertreter vom Bundesvorsitzenden der Freien Demokraten wissen wollten – sowohl auf politischer als auch auf persönlicher Ebene. WAS WOLLTEN SIE CHRISTIAN LINDNER SCHON IMMER EINMAL FRAGEN? 1 Wie starten Sie in den Tag? 12 Wenn Sie heute noch mal gründen würden – was? Ich mache Sport und gucke dabei Netflix, dann Einen digitalisierten Handwerksbetrieb. Außerdem verschaffe ich mir einen Überblick über die Medienlage glaube ich, dass die Chancen der Biologisierung als und trinke einen Espresso. zweitem Trend neben der Digitalisierung unterschätzt werden. 2 Was tun Sie für Ihre Fitness? Ganz unterschiedlich – am liebsten Rudern! 13 Welche Politiker-Kollegen wären Ihre Mitgründer in einem Start-up? 3 Was wollten Sie als kleiner Junge werden? Das kommt darauf an, was der Fokus eines Unter- Ich bin auf dem Land groß geworden und wollte immer nehmens ist. In jedem Fall unseren Schatzmeister Bauer werden – Dinge selbst in die Hand nehmen und Hermann Otto Solms, denn einen, der auf die Finanzen dabei große Fahrzeuge fahren, ein echter Traum. achtet, braucht man immer. 4 Sie haben vor kurzem den Jagdschein gemacht. 14 Gucken Sie Videos Ihrer Auftritte? Konnten Sie bereits einen kapitalen Hirsch zur Strecke Nein.
    [Show full text]
  • Cameralism in Practice: State Administration and Economy in Early
    BOOK REVIEW: CAMERALISM IN PRACTICE: STATE ADMINISTRATION AND ECONOMY IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE BY MARTEN SEPPEL AND KEITH TRIBE REVIEWED BY CARLOS EDUARDO SUPRINYAK* *CEDEPLAR, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Contact: [email protected] This “preprint” is the accepted typescript of a book review that is forthcoming in revised form, after minor editorial changes, in the Journal of the History of Economic Thought (ISSN: 1053-8372), issue TBA. Copyright to the journal’s articles is held by the History of Economics Society (HES), whose exclusive licensee and publisher for the journal is Cambridge University Press (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the- history-of-economic-thought). This preprint may be used only for private research and study and is not to be distributed further. The preprint may be cited as follows: Suprinyak, Carlos Eduardo. Review of “Cameralism in Practice: State Administration and Economy in Early Modern Europe” by Marten Seppel and Keith Tribe. Journal of the History of Economic Thought (forthcoming). Preprint at SocArXiv, osf.io/preprints/socarxiv Book Review SEPPEL, Marten & TRIBE, Keith (2017). Cameralism in Practice: state administration and economy in Early Modern Europe, Woodbridge/Rochester: The Boydell Press. By Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak, Cedeplar/UFMG A quick internet search returns the following definition of cameralism, provided by Oxford Living Dictionaries: “an economic theory prevalent in 18th-century Germany, which advocated a strong public administration managing a centralized economy primarily for the benefit of the state”. In the collection of essays Cameralism in Practice, editors Marten Seppel and Keith Tribe seem bent on deconstructing every single element of this definition.
    [Show full text]
  • How Far Is Vienna from Chicago? an Essay on the Methodology of Two Schools of Dogmatic Liberalism
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Paqué, Karl-Heinz Working Paper — Digitized Version How far is Vienna from Chicago? An essay on the methodology of two schools of dogmatic liberalism Kiel Working Paper, No. 209 Provided in Cooperation with: Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) Suggested Citation: Paqué, Karl-Heinz (1984) : How far is Vienna from Chicago? An essay on the methodology of two schools of dogmatic liberalism, Kiel Working Paper, No. 209, Kiel Institute of World Economics (IfW), Kiel This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/46781 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. www.econstor.eu Kieler Arbeitspapiere Kiel Working Papers Working Paper No.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Economic Policy in Thecontext of a History of Economic Thought
    The History of Economic Policy in the Context of a History of Economic Thought. Erik S. Reinert, January-February 2002. 1. Introduction. Methodology and Toolboxes: The Different Kinds of Economics. Readings: The Other Canon, ‘Two Different Ways of Understanding the Economic World and The Wealth and Poverty of Nations (3 pages), Bruce Henderson, Boston Consulting Group, Perspectives on Strategy (1998): ‘Business Thinking’, BCG, pp. 260-263. 2. Theories of History: Learning, Technological Change and Economic Development. Erik Reinert: ‘Karl Bücher and the Geographical Dimensions of Techno-Economic Change: Production-Based Economic Theory and the Stages of Economic Development’. Albert O. Hirschman: ‘The Passions and the Interests’, pp. 9-31+132-135. 3. The Renaissance and Duty-Based Systems: From Economic Anthropology to Statecrafting and Nation-Building. The Failure of Spain’s 16th Century Policies. Readings: Reinert & Daastøl, ‘Exploring the Genesis of Economic Innovations: The Religious Gestalt-Switch and the Duty to Invent as Preconditions for Economic Growth’, pp- 1-24 (= 233-264). Gustav Schmoller: ‘The Mercantile System and its Historical Significance’, particularly pp. 1-17, 29-36, 49- 80, 4. Mercantilism, Colbertism and Cameralism: Economic Growth as Activity-Specific, ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Trade, The Role of Cities and Diversity, Scale and Synergies. Readings: Antonio Serra, ‘A Brief Treatise’ (1613), (Monroe pp. 145-167), Daniel Defoe, ‘A Plan of English Commerce’ (1730) pp. 126-135, Philipp von Hornick, ‘Nine Principal Rules of National Economy’, from ‘Austria Over All if She Only Will (1684), (Monroe pp. 223- 227). 5. The 18th Century and the Mandevillean Revolution; Physiocracy and Adam Smith. Reading: Eric Roll on Adam Smith, ‘A History of Economic Thought’, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Sigmund Allein Unter Feinden Amazonjs
    7 Fragen an den Autor Thomas Sigmund zu seinem Buch „Allein unter Feinden? – Was der Staat für unsere Sicherheit tut – und was nicht“ Herr Sigmund, versagt der Staat beim Schutz seiner Bürger? Der Staat tut viel für die Sicherheit der Bürger. Justiz und Polizei arbeiten rund um die Uhr. Doch das alles reicht nicht. Woran machen Sie das konkret fest? Unsere innere Sicherheit ist bedroht wie noch nie seit Ende des Krieges. Einbrüche, U- Bahn-Treter, Cyberangriffe oder der Terror. Schauen Sie sich einfach die Hass- Postings im Internet, den wachsenden Rechtsextremismus oder die zunehmenden Angriffe auf Minderheiten an. Da ist etwas verrutscht in der Gesellschaft. Gibt es Gewalt nicht schon immer? Die derzeitige starke Verunsicherung der Bürger ist mehr als ein Gefühl. Eine einschneidende Zäsur waren die Vorkommnisse in der Silvesternacht in Köln 2015 an. Da waren nicht nur Polizei und Justiz weit über ihre Belastungsgrenze angekommen. Vor allem waren die Fehleinschätzungen der Politik und die mangelnde Handlungsfähigkeit des Staates erschreckend. Bis heute gibt es übrigens nur eine Handvoll Urteile gegen die Täter bei insgesamt 1200 Opfern. Doch es geht nicht nur um die Vorkommnisse auf der Kölner Domplatte Sondern? Wir haben auch eine steigende Zahl an Einbrüchen von international agierenden Einbrecherbanden aus Osteuropa, gegen die die Polizei machtlos scheint. Das einfache aber große Versprechen des Staates, das Privateigentum zu schützen ist zu oft nichts mehr wert. In den Polizeistatistiken wird zwar die Aufklärungsquote mit rund 15 Prozent beziffert; dazu zählen aber auch Fälle, die dann vor Gericht von vornherein nicht nachgewiesen werden können. So sinkt die tatsächliche Zahl auf nur rund 2,5 Prozent.
    [Show full text]
  • The Restless Liberalism of Alexis De Tocqueville
    FILOZOFIA ___________________________________________________________________________Roč. 72, 2017, č. 9 THE RESTLESS LIBERALISM OF ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE JAKUB TLOLKA, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK TLOLKA, J.: The Restless Liberalism of Alexis de Tocqueville FILOZOFIA, 72, No. 9, 2017, pp. 736-747 This essay attempts to contextualise the purported novelty of Alexis de Tocqueville’s particular brand of liberalism. It regards the author not as an heir or precursor to any given political tradition, but rather as a compelled syncretist whose primary philosophical concern was the moral significance of the democratic age. It suggests that Tocqueville devised his ‘new political science’ with a keen view to the existential implications of modernity. In order to support that suggestion, the essay explores the genealogy of Tocqueville’s moral and political thought and draws a relation between his analysis of democracy and his personal experience of modernity. Keywords: A. de Tocqueville – Modernity – Liberalism – Inquiétude – Religion Introduction. Relatively few authors in the history of political thought have produced an intellectual legacy of such overarching resonance as Alexis de Tocqueville. Even fewer, perhaps, have so persistently eluded ordinary analytical and exegetical frameworks, presenting to each astute observer a face so nuanced as to preclude serious interpretive consensus. As writes Lakoff (Lakoff 1998), ‘disagreement over textual interpretation in the study of political thought is not uncommon’. However, ‘it usually arises around those who left writings of a patently divergent character’ (p. 437). When we thus consider the ‘extraordinarily coherent and consistent nature’ of Alexis de Tocqueville’s political philosophy, it appears somewhat odd that the academic consensus surrounding that author relates almost exclusively to the grandeur of his intellectual achievement (Lukacs 1959, 6).
    [Show full text]
  • American Civil Associations and the Growth of American Government: an Appraisal of Alexis De Tocqueville’S Democracy in America (1835-1840) Applied to Franklin D
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2017 American Civil Associations and the Growth of American Government: An Appraisal of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (1835-1840) Applied to Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and the Post-World War II Welfare State John P. Varacalli The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1828 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] AMERICAN CIVIL ASSOCIATIONS AND THE GROWTH OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: AN APPRAISAL OF ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE’S DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA (1835- 1840) APPLIED TO FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT’S NEW DEAL AND THE POST-WORLD WAR II WELFARE STATE by JOHN P. VARACALLI A master’s thesis submitted to the Graduate Program in Liberal Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, The City University of New York 2017 © 2017 JOHN P. VARACALLI All Rights Reserved ii American Civil Associations and the Growth of American Government: An Appraisal of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (1835-1840) Applied to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and the Post World War II Welfare State by John P. Varacalli The manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Liberal Studies in satisfaction of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts ______________________ __________________________________________ Date David Gordon Thesis Advisor ______________________ __________________________________________ Date Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis Acting Executive Officer THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT American Civil Associations and the Growth of American Government: An Appraisal of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (1835-1840) Applied to Franklin D.
    [Show full text]