Hoorcollege Aantekeningen – Political Philosophy and Public
Administration
Hoorcollege 1: Why study (mostly) dead political philosophers? Good
government and justice in and after Plato
- Justice is a political and moral term.
- Different ways of thinking about good government
Why political philosophy?
1. Connection to other courses:
a. Politicologie
b. Foundations of Social Sciences and Public Administration
c. Administrative Ethics
2. Why study political philosophy?
a. Professional reasons
b. Political reasons
What is political philosophy?
The branch of philosophy studying the foundations of politics, focusing on the
justification of state authority, justice, rights, and the best organization of society
The canon (kanon: rule):
1. A list of main authors and foundational texts: ‘a choice among texts
struggling with one another for survival (Harold Bloom 1994)
a. One big shelf in a library that has the most important books.
2. A short list
3. An incomplete list
4. A list of connected authors and texts
a. Intertwined between decades and authors
5. An educational list
a. Eg. Separation of powers.
What is political philosophy
Look at the nature of good government from the perspective of justice.
Two uses of political philosophy
A philosophical use of political philosophy: clarification and construction of
political concepts and theories -> internal use
- Philosophers engaging with each other – e.g. Hobbes’ critique of Aristotle.
A political use of political philosophy: guidance & critique of political practice
(political action, public policy) -> external use.
- Philosophers engaging with politics – e.g. constitution-making (Plato);
tutoring politicians (Aristotle, Hobbes); policy advisors (Sen, Nussbaum)
Good government
,Plato (427 – 347 B.C.)
Texts written for non-philosophers which is why they are written in dialogue. Texts
that are addressed to the outer public. Not the students of the Plato-school. The
complicated notes that his students have taken are lost.
- Context in which he writes is Athens. His family is well situated politically.
And he has an interest in Athenian politics.
- He dislikes Athenian democracy, because it sentences Socrates (teacher of
Plato) to the Death penalty because of corruption of the youth.
- Crisis of democracy and crisis of Athens en the Peloponnesian war (431-
404 BC)
Plato’s republic
- Plato: aristocratic origins
- Peloponnesian war(s): (431-404BC)
- 404 BCE: government of 30 Tyrants (Critias, Charmides)
- Socrates’ student
, Defeat of Athens -> Sparta places a poppet-government to make the change
from democracy to oligarchy.
It creates havoc that Athens starts to become an oligarchy. Revolts/rebellions to
turn against the poppet-government that turns into a bloodshed. In about 12
months appr. 5% of Athenian population is killed. In that context of civil conflict
and war that Plato writes the Republic. As a critique of the politics of his time. But
more positively to propose an alternative way of doing politics. He does not like
oligarchy because of the violence it brings. He does not like democracy. So he
proposes a new sort of politics. How philosophy could help politics.
The message of the Republic is two-fold. You cannot great a just form of
government until you have philosophical perception of what Justice means. You
need to understand it properly before you write a constitution. Second, you need
those who are in power, to be familiar with it. Those who govern need to be
philosophers themselves or have been subjected to them. This is the aim of the
Republic.
Plato’s Republic
- Book 1-2: exploration of different conceptions of justice
- Book 3: analysis of the educational system in Kallipolis (=ideal city or
government of Plato)
- Book 4: Socrates’ conception of Justice
- Book 5: Kallipolis (=the beautiful city, the ideal city of Plato)
- Book 6: the importance of philosophers for politics
- Book 7: Plato’s doctrine of Ideas
- Book 8: analysis of 4 unjust regimes (timocracy, oligarchy, democracy,
tyranny)
- Book 9: analysis of tyranny
- Book 10: critique of the arts
The Republic fits in the Late periods (early, middle, late). When Socrates is
talking it is actually Plato itself who is addressing his own views.
Administration
Hoorcollege 1: Why study (mostly) dead political philosophers? Good
government and justice in and after Plato
- Justice is a political and moral term.
- Different ways of thinking about good government
Why political philosophy?
1. Connection to other courses:
a. Politicologie
b. Foundations of Social Sciences and Public Administration
c. Administrative Ethics
2. Why study political philosophy?
a. Professional reasons
b. Political reasons
What is political philosophy?
The branch of philosophy studying the foundations of politics, focusing on the
justification of state authority, justice, rights, and the best organization of society
The canon (kanon: rule):
1. A list of main authors and foundational texts: ‘a choice among texts
struggling with one another for survival (Harold Bloom 1994)
a. One big shelf in a library that has the most important books.
2. A short list
3. An incomplete list
4. A list of connected authors and texts
a. Intertwined between decades and authors
5. An educational list
a. Eg. Separation of powers.
What is political philosophy
Look at the nature of good government from the perspective of justice.
Two uses of political philosophy
A philosophical use of political philosophy: clarification and construction of
political concepts and theories -> internal use
- Philosophers engaging with each other – e.g. Hobbes’ critique of Aristotle.
A political use of political philosophy: guidance & critique of political practice
(political action, public policy) -> external use.
- Philosophers engaging with politics – e.g. constitution-making (Plato);
tutoring politicians (Aristotle, Hobbes); policy advisors (Sen, Nussbaum)
Good government
,Plato (427 – 347 B.C.)
Texts written for non-philosophers which is why they are written in dialogue. Texts
that are addressed to the outer public. Not the students of the Plato-school. The
complicated notes that his students have taken are lost.
- Context in which he writes is Athens. His family is well situated politically.
And he has an interest in Athenian politics.
- He dislikes Athenian democracy, because it sentences Socrates (teacher of
Plato) to the Death penalty because of corruption of the youth.
- Crisis of democracy and crisis of Athens en the Peloponnesian war (431-
404 BC)
Plato’s republic
- Plato: aristocratic origins
- Peloponnesian war(s): (431-404BC)
- 404 BCE: government of 30 Tyrants (Critias, Charmides)
- Socrates’ student
, Defeat of Athens -> Sparta places a poppet-government to make the change
from democracy to oligarchy.
It creates havoc that Athens starts to become an oligarchy. Revolts/rebellions to
turn against the poppet-government that turns into a bloodshed. In about 12
months appr. 5% of Athenian population is killed. In that context of civil conflict
and war that Plato writes the Republic. As a critique of the politics of his time. But
more positively to propose an alternative way of doing politics. He does not like
oligarchy because of the violence it brings. He does not like democracy. So he
proposes a new sort of politics. How philosophy could help politics.
The message of the Republic is two-fold. You cannot great a just form of
government until you have philosophical perception of what Justice means. You
need to understand it properly before you write a constitution. Second, you need
those who are in power, to be familiar with it. Those who govern need to be
philosophers themselves or have been subjected to them. This is the aim of the
Republic.
Plato’s Republic
- Book 1-2: exploration of different conceptions of justice
- Book 3: analysis of the educational system in Kallipolis (=ideal city or
government of Plato)
- Book 4: Socrates’ conception of Justice
- Book 5: Kallipolis (=the beautiful city, the ideal city of Plato)
- Book 6: the importance of philosophers for politics
- Book 7: Plato’s doctrine of Ideas
- Book 8: analysis of 4 unjust regimes (timocracy, oligarchy, democracy,
tyranny)
- Book 9: analysis of tyranny
- Book 10: critique of the arts
The Republic fits in the Late periods (early, middle, late). When Socrates is
talking it is actually Plato itself who is addressing his own views.
