TY - JOUR
T1 - The masses and the elites
T2 - Political philosophy for the age of Brexit, Trump and Netanyahu
AU - Enoch, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2015 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2017/1/2
Y1 - 2017/1/2
N2 - Recent political developments leave liberal elites heartbroken. Why is it that the masses keep making poor, morally unacceptable, irrational choices? Among the many voices heard in this context, there are also those criticising those elites from the left. The elites, these voices imply, are guilty not just of past wrongs that have gotten us here, but also of patronising the masses right now, arrogantly failing to take seriously the masses and their concerns. I argue that such complaints - perhaps appearances to the contrary notwithstanding - are every bit as patronising in their attitudes towards the masses they claim to respect, and proceed to discuss the question whether the elites should reason with the masses, or manage them (spoiler alert: both). This practical discussion leads to more theoretical ones about justification and excuse in the public sphere, practical and epistemic reasons for belief, and ideal and non-ideal theory in political philosophy.
AB - Recent political developments leave liberal elites heartbroken. Why is it that the masses keep making poor, morally unacceptable, irrational choices? Among the many voices heard in this context, there are also those criticising those elites from the left. The elites, these voices imply, are guilty not just of past wrongs that have gotten us here, but also of patronising the masses right now, arrogantly failing to take seriously the masses and their concerns. I argue that such complaints - perhaps appearances to the contrary notwithstanding - are every bit as patronising in their attitudes towards the masses they claim to respect, and proceed to discuss the question whether the elites should reason with the masses, or manage them (spoiler alert: both). This practical discussion leads to more theoretical ones about justification and excuse in the public sphere, practical and epistemic reasons for belief, and ideal and non-ideal theory in political philosophy.
KW - Brexit
KW - Ideal and non-ideal theory
KW - Political philosophy
KW - Trump
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85015819716&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1080/20403313.2017.1301098
DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/20403313.2017.1301098
M3 - مقالة
SN - 2040-3313
VL - 8
SP - 1
EP - 22
JO - Jurisprudence
JF - Jurisprudence
IS - 1
ER -