Core ideas per reading

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Conflict and sources - Berlin - Positive & negative liberty

Negative liberty is the absence of obstacles, barriers or constraints. One has negative liberty to the extent that actions are available to one in this negative sense. Positive liberty is the possibility of acting — or the fact of acting — in such a way as to take control of one’s life and realize one’s fundamental purposes.

Conflict and sources - Berlin - Conflict & liberalism

Incommensurate values / moral codes require liberalism because: the main connection between pluralism and liberalism is the centrality of choice to both. His argument goes as follows. The conflicts between values and ways of life that are the subject matter of pluralism require people to make choices. These choices are of the utmost importance, because they involve the most basic and essential questions of human life – what one is to be and do. Those who have to make such choices are therefore likely to care about them, and to want to be the ones to make them. Furthermore, the freedom and ability to make one’s own choices between conflicting values and possible lives is the crux of one’s identity as a moral agent.

Conflict and it’s sources - Grey - why are liberalism & strong pluralism not compatible?

Chosing liberty over other moral values is non-pluralist. Con icts between incommensurate ways of life are settled by achieving a modus vivendi between them.14 Modus vivendi is a reasonable implication of strong pluralism. If strong pluralism is true, no way of life has reason to impose itself on any other, save perhaps when the other violates a minimal morality that is binding on all, and every way of life has reason to seek terms of coexistence with others in which their distinctive goods are preserved. In a modus vivendi, ways of life Ž nd interests and values which they have in common and reach compromises regarding those in which they diverge.Liberal institu tions are only one solution to the problem of coexistence amongst diverse ways of life. There have been and are others no less legitimate. Among non-liberal institu tions which have framed a modus vivendi between communities and traditions the Roman practice of recognizing several non-territorial jurisdictions and the Ottoman millet system of communal autonomies are notable. In India today Muslim law and secular law apply to different communities. Such institu tions are rejected by liberals because they allow insufŽ cient freedom of exit from communities; but freedom of exit is only one good that a regime may have reason to protect.

Lukes - making sense of moral conflict - sources (4)

conflicting 1 obligations 2. purposes, ends, goals, values 3 holistic less well defined entitities such as moral codes or world views 4 moral claims such as deontologism and consequentialism

conflicts and politics - marx & engels - how does class struggle arive

1. Base and Superstructure: Marx proposed that society is divided into two main components: the economic base (or mode of production) and the superstructure. The economic base includes the means of production (factories, land, resources) and the relationships of production (capitalists and workers). The superstructure encompasses all other aspects of society, including culture, politics, religion, and ideology.

2. Class Struggle: In this framework, class struggle is the ongoing conflict between two primary social classes: the bourgeoisie (owners of the means of production) and the proletariat (working class). The bourgeoisie seeks to maximize profits and maintain control, while the proletariat aims to improve working conditions and achieve economic equality.

3. Historical Materialism: Marx believed that changes in the mode of production (e.g., from feudalism to capitalism) drive historical development. These changes lead to shifts in class structures and create the conditions for class struggle. He argued that history is a story of class conflicts and revolutions.

4. Dialectical Materialism: Marx applied dialectical materialism to the class struggle. This means that the contradictions and conflicts within the economic base eventually spill over into the superstructure, resulting in social upheaval, revolution, and the transformation of the entire social system.

In essence, Marx's theory of class struggle is about the conflict between social classes based on their roles in the mode of production, which leads to historical change and the evolution of societal structures and superstructures.

Mouffe - Agonistics - conflicts & politics - give her distinguisshment between the poltical and politics

1. Political: According to Mouffe, the "political" refers to the dimension of social life where collective decisions are made, and power relations are negotiated. It encompasses the activities, structures, and institutions through which conflicting interests and values are managed within a society. The political is not limited to formal government but extends to various arenas where citizens engage in debate, negotiation, and contestation.

2. Politics: Mouffe defines "politics" as the practice of engaging in democratic processes and debates within the political sphere. It involves the articulation of different viewpoints, interests, and identities in a way that respects pluralism and allows for the peaceful coexistence of diverse perspectives. Politics is the ongoing activity of creating a common world through dialogue and negotiation. It is an essential component of democratic societies.

why is it important to Mouffe to make the distinction?

When the distinction between the "political" and "politics" is not recognized, it can lead to the suppression of pluralism and the exclusion of dissenting voices. This can undermine the democratic process by stifling healthy political debate and reducing the space for alternative perspectives, potentially leading to authoritarian tendencies.

antagonism can be transformed into agonism by fostering respectful and inclusive political debate and competition where conflicting views are recognized and accepted, and adversaries engage in a spirit of mutual respect and dialogue rather than seeking to eliminate or dominate each other.

what are the key points from Schmitt’s view on the political?

1. The Essence of Politics: Schmitt argues that the core of politics lies in the distinction between friend and enemy. Politics is about the existential struggle between different groups with opposing interests.

2. Sovereign Decision: He emphasizes the importance of the sovereign's ability to make decisions in exceptional situations. The sovereign has the authority to define who the enemy is.

3. Political Unity: Schmitt contends that the essence of the political is the creation of unity through the exclusion of the enemy. The political community is defined by its ability to come together in the face of a common enemy.

4. Critique of Liberalism: He criticizes liberal theories of politics for attempting to eliminate the concept of the enemy and replace it with the idea of competition. Schmitt argues that such attempts are futile.

5. The Role of Violence: Schmitt recognizes that conflict and violence are inherent in politics. The decision on the enemy can ultimately be decided through force.

dealing with conflict - why does hampshire argue that justice is conflict?

Hampshire argues that justice is conflict because individuals with different moral outlooks and conceptions of the good will inevitably collide and make contrary judgments. The author suggests that regardless of one's beliefs about substantial justice, they will be constrained by the universal habits of argumentative behavior. This implies that conflicts arise when individuals assert their differing views on what is just, and justice can only be achieved through the process of adversarial argument and negotiation. The author states, "Whatever a person’s moral outlook and conception of the good, and whatever his beliefs about issues of substantial justice, he knows that he will sometimes collide with others who make contrary judgments."

Condition for Containment

• individuals must be committed to peace and rank peace considerations over other considerations

condition for Resolution through intersubjective agreement

individuals must be willing to modify their position if discussion shows it to be unacceptable for others and they must be willing to endorse the outcome of deliberation as the appropriate basis for defining public policies

condition for Truth-tracking resolution

individuals must be willing to modify their position if discussion shows it to be wrong and they must be willing to endorse as correct (i.e. as true) the outcome of deliberation

Truth-based resolution

individuals must be willing to accept that political decisions should be truth-oriented and willing to change their commitments if the latter are not in line with the truth about the issue at stake

Removal

individuals must be willing to bracket their metaphysical, religious or moral commitments and to attribute priority to shared political values

a society in which conflict is absent can be conceived as a society in which typical sources of conflict are absent

–no conflicting interests –no conflicting values or disagreement about values–no divergence about the outcomes to achieve or about the means to pursue them

conditions for no conflicting values

conditions for no conflicting interest

what is sharing despte option luck / regrettale choices based on for cohen

Communal reciprocity is the antimarketprinciple according to which I serve you not because of what I can get in returnby doingsobutbecauseyouneedorwantmyservice,andyou,for thesamereason,serveme

side constraints

rights set the boundaries for what can permissibly be done to individuals (whether by other individuals or by the public authority) - nozick

what are main attributes of political dissent

1. acts aimed at expressing –dissatisfaction with specific policies or public decisions of a governing body –opposition to a government or to a political regime
   2. acts pursuing political change also outside common or institutionalized decision-making processes
   3. disagreement or conflict is between asymmetrical parties–not among individuals or among groups–between individuals or groups, on the one hand, and public authority, on the other