Plato, Weber and Arendt Key Terms

Politics

In regard to Plato’s Apology, Socrates critiques that engaging in politics can corrupt an individual due to the ignorance and lack of wisdom in political circles

Gadfly: “the city is asleep “ → corrupt by false knowledge

Philosophy

Emphasis on the importance of philosopher’s private life as its purpose is to understand the nature of reality and to achieve a good life through the pursuit of knowledge and virtue

→ expose false knowledge and truth

Political philosophy

Canon

Dialogue

The dialogue revolves around Socrates’ defense against charges of corrupting the youth and not recognizing the correct gods

Socratic method

Teacher leads discussion with students regarding questions to explore topics and help them arrive at their own understanding

Apology

The irony is that he is not apologizing for his crimes, but rather exposing the court for being corrupt and allowing themselves to be influenced by politics

Sophism

In the Apology, sophism is used to distinguish Socrates from the Sophists who were teachers of rhetoric and

Gadfly

Socrates compares himself to this, sent by the god to rouse the city of Athens, which he compares to a large and sluggish horse.

Political death

Despite his sentence being unjust, Socrates accepts his sentence because he believes in the importance in the rule of law and his commitment to the civic obligations he assumed as a citizen of Athens

Citizen

As a legal member of a political community, it is the duty of the citizen to be obey the state

Patriotism (patria=motherland)

Athens is the law and staying in the state meant satisfaction with its laws

Ethics

The principle of ethics was highlighting the importance of living a just life, even in the face of unjust punishment

→ “Most important thing isn’t living, but living well”

A-polis

Not a part of the state, anyone who is not part of the city is a beast or god

Rationalization

A process through which traditional, emotional and religious methods are replaced by rationality and efficiency for decision-making and achieve desired means.

eg: According to Weber, capitalism as a global phenomenon that is focused on instrumental rationality. The system focuses on the means of achieving a desired goal through effectiveness, disregarding the value or moral judgements

Disenchantment

Disconnection from nature because of the dominion of scientific principles. The modern world finds meaning through rationality and progress, but it does not tell us how we should act a certain way and the value of our actions

Iron Cage

This phrase has been used as a metaphor to demonstrate the modern world has been consumed by rationality and bureaucracy that it is trapped in systems with strict regulations, causing people to lose their creativity and individual autonomy

→ could be a connection to Nietzsche

Value Sphere

Value spheres represent distinct domains of social action, each with its own set of values, norms, and rules that shape behavior.

Re-enchantment

The concept of re-enchantment suggests a counter-movement where people seek to reintroduce or replace these lost beliefs based on magical beliefs and meanings in a secular world

Liberation vs founding

Liberation is the act of overcoming oppression, overthrowing existing powers and freedom from tyranny, while founding is the act of creating a new world embodied in the institution.

revolution

According to Arendt, it is the reaction of the one part of the population to its inability to engage in public freedom

freedom

Freedom is realized through action in the public sphere in order to make public spaces where we can participate in shared experiences and express ourselves

action

Action in the form of coming together to create new possibilities, maintaining the public space of freedom

power

Power only comes into into being if men have the space to come together for the purpose of action

→ Arendt wants to achieve democratic forms of power without violence such as acts of founding, writing constitutions and peaceful protests

promising

Promising-making is an act of political innovation, establishing stability in relationships between people so that we can contribute to a creation of a public space of action.

sovereignty

Hierarchial and dominating form of rule as it raises issues regarding who is part of the general will under sovereign rule, leading to arbitrary rule

separation of powers

Crucial tool for preventing the centralization of power and tyranny → thus it aims to check power and in a way no other entity becomes too powerful than others

→ contrasts Hobbes’ theory that division of power leads to conflict and argued that there must be an absolute sovereign that holds all power

natality

Each person as the capacity to create something new in the form of action → drives revolutions