Communitarians vs. Liberal Individualism: Comparative Analysis of Social & Economic Views , Study notes of Political Economy

Download Communitarians vs. Liberal Individualism: Comparative Analysis of Social & Economic Views and more Study notes Political Economy in PDF only on Docsity! D. Communitarianism Exam #3 Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) Eric Voegelin (1901-1985) Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) Juergen Habermas (1930--) Mary Macintyre (1928--) Taylor (1932--) Karl Barth (1886-1968) Reinhold Nieburh (1892-1971) John Howard Yoder (1927-1997) Stanley Hauerwas (1940--) Henri De Lubac (1896-1991) Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) Robert N. Bellah (1992--) Amitai Etzioni (1992--)  Stated crudely, communitarians are “conservative” on social issues but “liberal” on economic issues.  More exactly, communitarians stress the importance of moral community but argue that unrestrained markets are destructive of morality and community.  They do not necessarily want larger government (to regulate markets) but want to bring about cultural change so that markets are less dominant.  Communitarian critique of liberalism in general: o Impossibility of neutral.  Critique of reform liberalism, libertarianism: o Expressive individualism socially destructive.  Critique of conservatism: o Utilitarian individualism is too narrowly materialistic and leads inevitably to expressive individualism.  Communitarians see themselves as the true heirs of the American founding fathers.  Communitarians are liberal on economic issues and conservative on social issues. 1. The Pursuit of Happiness  What is happiness? o Traditional western understanding:  Happiness comes from leading a responsible life (virtuous)  Aristotle (384-322 BC) o Political implication :  Role of government is to promote happiness by promoting responsible living (virtue)  Not necessarily directly: o Government should promote institutions that themselves teach responsibility such as:  Families  Schools  Churches  Voluntary organizations  Neighborhoods  Finally, since governing is therefore the most important human activity, the highest happiness and true freedom come from virtuous citizenship. o Classical republican  Happiness comes from leading a virtuous life.  Although partly informed by early liberal ideas, American founding fathers thought primarily in classical republican terms  Four understanding of happiness/ freedom in American History: o Liberal individualist  Utilitarian (economic)  Expressive (psychological/ aesthetic) o Communitarian  Republican (civil republican)  Biblical – equality  Everyone is equal in government and has the mind set to rule in government. Historically: 1700 Communitarian 1800 Communitarian > Liberal 1900 Liberal > Communitarian 2000 Liberal <1920’ s Utilitarian > Expressive >1960’ s Expressive > Utilitarian  Freedom and virtue for the American founders: o Only meaningful in the context of moral responsibility.  Ordered liberty  Liberty VS. License  Liberty is freedom in the community without causing harm to it and having civic responsibility.  License is now what freedom is today & it is doing whatever you feel like doing no matter the harm it may cause the community and not being morally responsible.  American communitarians argue that the moderate individualism of the founding fathers had degenerated in extreme individualism over the past century and a half and particularly since the 1960’s. The Founding Debate Federalists  George Washington  James Madison  Alexander Hamilton Anti-Federalists  Thomas Jefferson Centralized Government  More power to wealthy, well educated national elite (most virtuous) Decentralized Government  More power to small farmers who they believed to be the most virtuous. *The argument was about who was the most virtuous.*  16th – 1913 – Income tax  17th – 1913 – Popular elections of senate  18th – 1919 – Prohibition  19th – 1920 – Woman allowed to vote  Electoral College o President is elected by electors  Each state has electors equal to is congressional delegation (reps +2 senators), [DC has 3 according to the 23rd amendment (1961)]  Electors are appointed by state legislatures  Original idea: Experiences public figures  By early 18th century: Electors were elected by popular vote, political parties run slates of electors, pledged to vote for party candidate.  So when one votes for the presidential candidate they are actually voting for a slate of electors.  Primaries vote either republican or democratic o “Winner-Takes-All” Aspect of Electoral College  Candidate winning plurality, however small, of state’s popular vote wins all electoral votes (partial proportionality in Maine, Nebraska)  If no candidates have majority of electoral votes: President – top 3 candidates are voted on by the house (Majority – each state one vote), Vice president – top 2 candidates to senate (majority)  If there is a tie it goes to the House for them to vote.  The president and vice president are running mates: vote for one or vote for both.  Most states are winner takes all but two divide electoral vote.  In primaries you vote either republican or democratic 3. Individualism and Tyranny  Alexis de Tocqueville (1805 – 1859) o Visited America and wrote on it, thought tyranny would be caused by isolation  Democracy in America (1835 – 1840)  Individualism leads to tyranny because people are isolated.  Democracy – rough equality of condition.  Equality leads to individualism.  Individualism leads to isolation.  Isolation leads to tyranny. o Present day communitarians: problem is not so much democracy / equality but liberal individualism. Comparison of aristocratic and modern liberal individualist societies Aristocratic Modern Liberal Power fragmented Power centralized People bound together by social structures:  Makes despotism les likely  Tyranny violent but limited Individuals isolated:  Results in widespread subtle “administrative despotism”  Different from present day conservatives: Tocqueville is concerned with over – centralized government, but thinks industry & market cause it. o Market itself will cause tyranny  20th century Amendments to Tocqueville’s Theory o Modern Tyranny could be extremely violent.  20th century totalitarian (government has all control) system functioned through isolation of individuals.  Conditions of modern societies could be breeding ground for financial political movements. o Administrative despotism many not be so much government as private economy.  Workers – result of industry  Intense supervision of work routines  Constant examination  Consumers  Advertising  Continual restructure of consumer economy: o curiosity luxury convenience necessity  Examples: cars & refrigerators  Aspects of American society that could help prevent administrative despotism. o Local self-government/ citizenship – freedom o Voluntary associations – build bonds  Tocqueville’s analysis provides a response to liberals who argue that liberal societies have been most resistant to modern tyranny so that individualism can’t be this problem. o English speaking societies modernized slowly and therefore gradually transformed aristocratic civic culture into democratic civic culture. o England went from aristocratic civic community to democratic but still centralized.  So Tocqueville sees two possibilities: o Fully democratic republican community o Excessive individualism leading to administrative despotism.  Communitarians want to receive republican tradition on a more democratic basis. 4. Communitarian Economic Policy A. Economics and the common good (Cobb)  Current measure of economic wealth activity, GDP, is deficient.  GDP/ GNP = total output of goods per year o Critiques:  Things measured as “goods” may be “bads”  Society may be getting worse off when GDP is rising  GDP is outcome of WWI – Era economic planning  Adam Smith’s concept of productive labor, abandoned in late 19th century, does, if modified, make sense. o A distinction must be made between socially constructive and socially destructive economic activity.  GDP fails in two ways: o Measure destructive activity as gain. o Fails to measure constructive activity in which no money changes hands  New indicator of economic well-being: GPI (genuine progress indicator) o GPI = Goods + dollar value of uncounted goods/bads o GPI = GDP + dollar value of uncounted goods/bads  Compare GDP & GPI: o GDP – up more or less continuously since WWII. o GPI – up until about 1970, down since then.  Objection: o Who decides what is “Good” or “Bad”?  Communitarian replies: o GDP is not neutral o GPI would bring about republican debate about common good  Different from reform liberalism o The experts would choose what is considered “Good” & “Bad” B. Urban Planning and Community  Design of cities is an extremely important issue for communitarians, because it is a perfect example of how government actions can promote or discourage institutions (neighborhoods) that can teach virtue & responsibility.  New Urbanism – return to traditional (pre-WWII) methods of planning  New Urbanist critique of postwar city planning: o Single use zoning of urban sprawl  Destructive effects of urban sprawl: o Environmental o Congestion  Old pattern – grid, allowed for multiple paths to any destination  New pattern – only one way to get anywhere, main thorough fares are congested o Exclusive use of automobiles  Excludes – children, elderly, and poor from full participation in community  Discourages pedestrian traffic  No chance for people to meet & talk  Contributes to obesity  Five basic principles of new urbanism: o Neighborhoods must have center & well defined edge o Neighborhoods should be ¼ mile from center edge o Neighborhoods must have mixed uses o Streets must be interconnected o Priority given to public places & buildings *ALL THESE WOULD STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY BY ALLOWING GREATER SOCIAL INTERACTION*