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Pluralism (political philosophy)

February 16, 2024

This article is about pluralism as a political philosophy. For the theory that political power in society does not lie with the electorate but is distributed between a wide number of groups, see Pluralism (political theory). For other uses, see Pluralism (disambiguation).

Pluralism as a political philosophy is the diversity within a political body, which is seen to permit the peaceful coexistence of different interests, convictions, and lifestyles.[1] While not all political pluralists advocate for a pluralist democracy, this is the most common stance, because democracy is often viewed as the most fair and effective way to moderate between discrete values.[2] Political theorist Isaiah Berlin, a strong supporter of pluralism, wrote: "let us have the courage of our admitted ignorance, of our doubts and uncertainties.

At least we can try to discover what others ... require, by ... making it possible for ourselves to know men as they truly are, by listening to them carefully and sympathetically, and understanding them and their lives and their needs... ."[3] Pluralism thus tries to encourage members of society to accommodate their differences by avoiding extremism (adhering solely to one value, or at the very least refusing to recognize others as legitimate) and engaging in good faith dialogue. Pluralists also seek the construction or reform of social institutions in order to reflect and balance competing principles.

One of the more famous arguments for institutional pluralism came from James Madison in The Federalist paper number 10. Madison feared that factionalism would lead to in-fighting in the new American republic and devotes this paper to questioning how best to avoid such an occurrence. He posits that to avoid factionalism, it is best to allow many competing factions (advocating different primary principles) to prevent any one from dominating the political system. This relies, to a degree, on a series of disturbances changing the influences of groups so as to avoid institutional dominance and ensure competition.[citation needed]

Like Edmund Burke, this view concerns itself with balance, and subordinating any single abstract principle to a plurality or realistic harmony of interests. Pluralism recognizes that certain conditions may make good-faith negotiation impossible, and therefore also focuses on what institutional structures can best modify or prevent such a situation. Pluralism advocates institutional design in keeping with a form of pragmatic realism here, with the preliminary adoption of suitable existing socio-historical structures where necessary. One of the problems plaguing any discussion of pluralism is that it is a multi-faceted concept. There are at least four distinct ways in which the term pluralism has been used.[4]

William E. Connolly challenges older theories of pluralism by arguing for pluralization as a goal rather than as a state of affairs. Connolly's argument for the "multiplication of factions" follows James Madison's logic in engaging groups, constituencies, and voters at both the micro and macro level. Essentially, he has shifted the theory from a conservative theory of order, to a progressive theory of democratic contestation and engagement.[5] Connolly introduces the distinction between pluralism and pluralization. Pluralism, whether the interest-group pluralism of Robert A. Dahl or political liberalism's "reasonable" pluralism, is oriented towards existing diversity of groups, values, and identities competing for political representation. Pluralization, by contrast, names the emergence of new interests, identities, values, and differences raising claims to representation not currently legible within the existing pluralist imaginary.[6]

The common good edit

Pluralism is connected with the hope that this process of conflict and dialogue will result in a quasi-common good. This common good is not an abstract value or set in stone, however, but an attempt at balancing competing social interests and will thus constantly shift given present social conditions. Proponents in the contemporary political philosophy of such a view include Isaiah Berlin, Stuart Hampshire and Bernard Williams. An earlier version of political pluralism was a strong current in the formation of modern social democracy (to balance socialist and capitalist ideals), with theorists such as the early Harold Laski and G. D. H. Cole, as well as other leading members of the British Fabian Society. In the United States, President Dwight Eisenhower's "middle way" was arguably motivated by a belief in political pluralism.[7]

While advocated by many pluralists, pluralism need not embrace social democracy given it does not a priori assume a desirable political system. Rather, pluralists advocate one based on the pre-existing traditions and cognizable interests of a given society, and the political structure most likely to harmonize these factors. Thus, pluralists have also included Michael Oakeshott and John Kekes, proponents of something close to liberal conservatism (although will often reject such political labels). What pluralists certainly do have in common is the notion that a single vision or ideological schema, whether Marxism or unbridled neoliberalism, is likely too simplistic and rigid to advocate human beings' natural plurality of values. Pluralists likewise reject historicism and utopian thinking. While some, like John N. Gray, repudiate historical progress altogether, others, like Edmund Burke, indicate that human progress has occurred, as a function of improved social harmony.

Conditions edit

For pluralism to function and to be successful in defining the common good, all groups have to agree to a minimal consensus that shared values are at least worth pursuing. The most important baseline value is thus that of mutual respect, understanding or tolerance. If no such dialogue is possible, extremism and physical coercion are likely inevitable.

Notable pluralists (alphabetical) edit

See also edit

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Pluralism (political philosophy).

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Theories of American Democracy"
  2. ^ Flathman, Richard E. (2005). Pluralism and Liberal Democracy. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 080188215X.
  3. ^ Cherniss, Joshua; Hardy, Henry (1 January 2016). Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University – via Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  4. ^ Kazemzadeh, Hamed (Winter 2020). "Hamed Kazemzadeh: Democratic platform in Social Pluralism". Internal Journal of Acpcs (10).
  5. ^ Connolly, William E.; Chambers, Samuel Allen; Carver, Terrell (2007). Democracy, pluralism and political theory. London, England: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 9780415431224. OCLC 133465498.
  6. ^ Connolly, William E. (2005). Pluralism. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. ISBN 0822335549. OCLC 57319610.
  7. ^ Thomas, Wagner, Steven (1 January 1999). "Pursuing the "middle way": Eisenhower Republicanism, 1952–1964". pp. 1–282.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

References edit

  • Rajiv Krishnan Kozhikode and Jiatao Li, "Political pluralism, public policies, and organizational choices: banking branch expansion in India, 1948–2003," Academy of Management Journal, 55(2), 339–359.
  • Pluralism and Liberal Democracy, Richard E. Flatham (2005).
  • "Isaiah Berlin"
  • Morality and Conflict, Hampshire, Stuart (1983).
  • From Pluralist to Patriotic Politics, Blattberg, Charles (2000).
  • Democratic platform in Social Pluralism, Kazemzadeh, Hamed (2020).
  • Liberty, Berlin, Isaiah (2002).
  • In the Beginning Was the Deed, Williams, Bernard (2005).
  • "Michael Oakeshott and Modern Conservatism"
  • On legal pluralism and communities, see: Gad Barzilai, Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2003.

February 16, 2024
pluralism, political, philosophy, this, article, about, pluralism, political, philosophy, theory, that, political, power, society, does, with, electorate, distributed, between, wide, number, groups, pluralism, political, theory, other, uses, pluralism, disambi. This article is about pluralism as a political philosophy For the theory that political power in society does not lie with the electorate but is distributed between a wide number of groups see Pluralism political theory For other uses see Pluralism disambiguation Pluralism as a political philosophy is the diversity within a political body which is seen to permit the peaceful coexistence of different interests convictions and lifestyles 1 While not all political pluralists advocate for a pluralist democracy this is the most common stance because democracy is often viewed as the most fair and effective way to moderate between discrete values 2 Political theorist Isaiah Berlin a strong supporter of pluralism wrote let us have the courage of our admitted ignorance of our doubts and uncertainties At least we can try to discover what others require by making it possible for ourselves to know men as they truly are by listening to them carefully and sympathetically and understanding them and their lives and their needs 3 Pluralism thus tries to encourage members of society to accommodate their differences by avoiding extremism adhering solely to one value or at the very least refusing to recognize others as legitimate and engaging in good faith dialogue Pluralists also seek the construction or reform of social institutions in order to reflect and balance competing principles One of the more famous arguments for institutional pluralism came from James Madison in The Federalist paper number 10 Madison feared that factionalism would lead to in fighting in the new American republic and devotes this paper to questioning how best to avoid such an occurrence He posits that to avoid factionalism it is best to allow many competing factions advocating different primary principles to prevent any one from dominating the political system This relies to a degree on a series of disturbances changing the influences of groups so as to avoid institutional dominance and ensure competition citation needed Like Edmund Burke this view concerns itself with balance and subordinating any single abstract principle to a plurality or realistic harmony of interests Pluralism recognizes that certain conditions may make good faith negotiation impossible and therefore also focuses on what institutional structures can best modify or prevent such a situation Pluralism advocates institutional design in keeping with a form of pragmatic realism here with the preliminary adoption of suitable existing socio historical structures where necessary One of the problems plaguing any discussion of pluralism is that it is a multi faceted concept There are at least four distinct ways in which the term pluralism has been used 4 William E Connolly challenges older theories of pluralism by arguing for pluralization as a goal rather than as a state of affairs Connolly s argument for the multiplication of factions follows James Madison s logic in engaging groups constituencies and voters at both the micro and macro level Essentially he has shifted the theory from a conservative theory of order to a progressive theory of democratic contestation and engagement 5 Connolly introduces the distinction between pluralism and pluralization Pluralism whether the interest group pluralism of Robert A Dahl or political liberalism s reasonable pluralism is oriented towards existing diversity of groups values and identities competing for political representation Pluralization by contrast names the emergence of new interests identities values and differences raising claims to representation not currently legible within the existing pluralist imaginary 6 Contents 1 The common good 2 Conditions 3 Notable pluralists alphabetical 4 See also 5 Notes 6 ReferencesThe common good editPluralism is connected with the hope that this process of conflict and dialogue will result in a quasi common good This common good is not an abstract value or set in stone however but an attempt at balancing competing social interests and will thus constantly shift given present social conditions Proponents in the contemporary political philosophy of such a view include Isaiah Berlin Stuart Hampshire and Bernard Williams An earlier version of political pluralism was a strong current in the formation of modern social democracy to balance socialist and capitalist ideals with theorists such as the early Harold Laski and G D H Cole as well as other leading members of the British Fabian Society In the United States President Dwight Eisenhower s middle way was arguably motivated by a belief in political pluralism 7 While advocated by many pluralists pluralism need not embrace social democracy given it does not a priori assume a desirable political system Rather pluralists advocate one based on the pre existing traditions and cognizable interests of a given society and the political structure most likely to harmonize these factors Thus pluralists have also included Michael Oakeshott and John Kekes proponents of something close to liberal conservatism although will often reject such political labels What pluralists certainly do have in common is the notion that a single vision or ideological schema whether Marxism or unbridled neoliberalism is likely too simplistic and rigid to advocate human beings natural plurality of values Pluralists likewise reject historicism and utopian thinking While some like John N Gray repudiate historical progress altogether others like Edmund Burke indicate that human progress has occurred as a function of improved social harmony Conditions editFor pluralism to function and to be successful in defining the common good all groups have to agree to a minimal consensus that shared values are at least worth pursuing The most important baseline value is thus that of mutual respect understanding or tolerance If no such dialogue is possible extremism and physical coercion are likely inevitable Notable pluralists alphabetical editAbraham Lincoln Adam Smith Alexander Hamilton Alexis de Tocqueville Aristotle Baruch Spinoza Benjamin Franklin Bernard Williams C S Lewis C H Douglas Charles Darwin Charles Sanders Peirce David Hume Dorothy Day Edmund Burke Edward Gibbon Franklin D Roosevelt Flannery O Connor Friedrich Nietzsche G K Chesterton George MacDonald George Washington Hannah Arendt Harold Laski earlier Hilaire Belloc Isaiah Berlin J R R Tolkien James Fitzjames Stephen James Madison Jean Jacques Rousseau John Adams John Henry Newman John Kekes John Locke John Maynard Keynes John Milton John N Gray John Stuart Mill Joseph De Maistre Joseph Raz Karl Popper Learned Hand Mahatma Gandhi Mark Twain Michael Oakeshott later Michel de Montaigne Montesquieu Plato Paul Feyerabend later Rene Descartes Robert A Dahl Robert Hugh Benson Samuel Adams Sigmund Freud Socrates Stuart Hampshire Theodore Roosevelt Thomas Carlyle Thomas Hobbes Thomas Jefferson Thomas Merton Thomas Paine Ulrich Zwingli 8 Voltaire William E Connolly William James William McKinleySee also edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Pluralism political philosophy Anekantavada Liberal democracy Moderation Value pluralismNotes edit Theories of American Democracy Flathman Richard E 2005 Pluralism and Liberal Democracy Johns Hopkins University Press ISBN 080188215X Cherniss Joshua Hardy Henry 1 January 2016 Zalta Edward N ed The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Metaphysics Research Lab Stanford University via Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Kazemzadeh Hamed Winter 2020 Hamed Kazemzadeh Democratic platform in Social Pluralism Internal Journal of Acpcs 10 Connolly William E Chambers Samuel Allen Carver Terrell 2007 Democracy pluralism and political theory London England Routledge Taylor amp Francis Group ISBN 9780415431224 OCLC 133465498 Connolly William E 2005 Pluralism Durham North Carolina Duke University Press ISBN 0822335549 OCLC 57319610 Thomas Wagner Steven 1 January 1999 Pursuing the middle way Eisenhower Republicanism 1952 1964 pp 1 282 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link References editRajiv Krishnan Kozhikode and Jiatao Li Political pluralism public policies and organizational choices banking branch expansion in India 1948 2003 Academy of Management Journal 55 2 339 359 Pluralism and Liberal Democracy Richard E Flatham 2005 Isaiah Berlin Morality and Conflict Hampshire Stuart 1983 From Pluralist to Patriotic Politics Blattberg Charles 2000 Democratic platform in Social Pluralism Kazemzadeh Hamed 2020 Liberty Berlin Isaiah 2002 In the Beginning Was the Deed Williams Bernard 2005 Michael Oakeshott and Modern Conservatism On legal pluralism and communities see Gad Barzilai Communities and Law Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities Ann Arbor University of Michigan Press 2003 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pluralism political philosophy amp oldid 1197944805, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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