| Top 10 Political Theorists 22:27 - Jun 19 with 2775 views | Kropotkin123 |
So there was a top 10 Political leaders the other day and I found it interesting to read who other people found to be the greatest - particularly when reason are given.
So I thought I'd start one for theorists. Who has inspired you? What was it that captured your imagination? Why do they hold such importance to you?
Pyotr Kropotkin - Unsurprisingly Kropotkin is top of my list. Dubbed the Anarchist prince, he gave up his royal title at the early age of 12, setting a president of practicing what he preached.
He was fiercely academic, spanning many disciplines. Inspired by Darwin, he wrote Mutual Aid the articulately argued that cooperation, not competition, led to the greatest success in nature. Those that could cooperate were greatest in number. Be it insect or mammal, carnivore or herbivore, those that cooperated were better off.
Cooperation is left wing, competition is right wing. This book underpins why I favour cooperation over competition, why I favour left over right.
He also wrote The Conquest of Bread, which was another hugely influential book for me. It stripped politics right down to the basics. As Norman Borlaug puts it "Without food... all other components of social justice are meaningless.
Ludwig von Rochau - I'm sure we all have people who have influenced us so much, yet we've never picked up their works. It was actually learning about Otto van Bismarck and his unification of Prussia on Realpolitik theory.
It was very much the catalyst to challenge my viewpoints and ground them in reality. Sure, I have a huge district of the state and I truly believe that humanity can exist with different and better decentralised power structures. But was is possible? If it isn't possible, then assess the best course of action to make something possible. Place your theoretical ambitions within reality.
Thomas Robert Malthus, David Ricardo and Karl Marx - I've grouped these three together because I actually read about them at the same time. I read their economic theories as part of a history of the economics of politics and it framed them all so well. It was less about right vrs left and more about these theorists approaching politics from an angle that makes a huge difference to people's lives. They were all trying to solve massive economic problems.
I feel I should note that I don't agree with Marx's solutions, but his economic evaluation of capitalism was massively important and not the source of people's disputes with him whether they are from the left or right.
Henry David Thoreau - His essay On the Duty of Civil Disobedience really resonated with me. Civil Disobedience, so scorned and loathed by the state as antithetical to democracy was actually promoted as a necessary duty to protect the state from the tyranny of those who abuse and pervert it for their own ends.
It flipped the logic of the state as this system which protects and executes the will of the people, to one that can, and often is, corrupted by those who have vested interests.
Albert Einstein - What's this guy doing on the list? He's a scientist! He also wrote an article on socialism and his 16th paragraph was eye opening. It highlighted the vulnerability of our institutions and exposed their weakness to private capital. I feel to truly understand this paragraph is to truly understand why so many eatablished democracies are in a poor state around the world.
John Stuart Mill - By the time I picked up On Liberty I had pretty established political ideas and I didn't expect this book to be so fascinating. But it really is a well-written piece.
Henri de Saint-Simon - Again, I came to him late and honestly haven't really engaged in him that much, aside from understanding his ideas. The reason why I still find room for him on my list is that he was a big building block for many of the people on my list. Without his contribution, would the others have established theirs? I'm not sure the ideologies would be as robust without him.
Ralph Waldo Emerson - My last one was a real struggle. I weighed up putting in Proudhon, Reclus, Kant and Darwin. I think Emerson's essay on Self-reliance was more striking for me at the time than the others.
So there you have it, 10 Political Theorists that have inspired me and the reasons why. I look forward to seeing others, even if you drop in one or two names. |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:35 - Jun 19 with 1588 views | Wacko |
I would say the only one I've properly read is Žižek.. so.. er.. him..
Also a bit of Voltaire
What would be the one book you'd recommend from all those mentioned? |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:46 - Jun 19 with 1554 views | Herbivore |
Marx.
Everything else is just filler (possibly bourgeois filler at that).
Genuinely, Karl Marx should be mandatory reading for all kids at high school. |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:49 - Jun 19 with 1552 views | Ewan_Oozami |
No explanations because we all know who they are don't we?
1. Aristotle
2. Jeremy Bentham
3. Edmund Burke
4 Noam Chomsky
5. Thomas Paine
6. Hannah Arendt
7. Ho Chi Minh
8. Ayn Rand
9. Georg Hegel
10. Niccolo Machiavelli
and a bonus..
11. Stig of the Dump |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:51 - Jun 19 with 1548 views | Kropotkin123 |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:35 - Jun 19 by Wacko |
I would say the only one I've properly read is Žižek.. so.. er.. him..
Also a bit of Voltaire
What would be the one book you'd recommend from all those mentioned? |
On Liberty is the best written book of the lot, in my opinion. It offers the greatest scope. I'd start here if you haven't read any of them.
Mutual Aid was the most important to me. But as a read it is very geographic. By that I mean it is a relentlessly scientific piece with case study after case study. Inspiring? Definitely. Tedious for most? Probably.
Civil Disobedience is a quick book to read and easy to understand. If you want a lighter book, with some really relevant theories to what we see in the news today, then this is great.
It's funny though, of all the people I've mentioned, the most enjoyable piece I've read was actually Voltaire's Candide. I got through that really quickly. Underated and very witty. | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:52 - Jun 19 with 1538 views | Trequartista |
Peter Ustinov |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:54 - Jun 19 with 1532 views | lowhouseblue |
this is where twtd gets too surreal for me. |  |
| And so as the loose-bowelled pigeon of time swoops low over the unsuspecting tourist of destiny, and the flatulent skunk of fate wanders into the air-conditioning system of eternity, I notice it's the end of the show |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:55 - Jun 19 with 1526 views | Ewan_Oozami |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:51 - Jun 19 by Kropotkin123 |
On Liberty is the best written book of the lot, in my opinion. It offers the greatest scope. I'd start here if you haven't read any of them.
Mutual Aid was the most important to me. But as a read it is very geographic. By that I mean it is a relentlessly scientific piece with case study after case study. Inspiring? Definitely. Tedious for most? Probably.
Civil Disobedience is a quick book to read and easy to understand. If you want a lighter book, with some really relevant theories to what we see in the news today, then this is great.
It's funny though, of all the people I've mentioned, the most enjoyable piece I've read was actually Voltaire's Candide. I got through that really quickly. Underated and very witty. |
"All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds" Good old Professor Pangloss | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:57 - Jun 19 with 1521 views | Herbivore |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:49 - Jun 19 by Ewan_Oozami |
No explanations because we all know who they are don't we?
1. Aristotle
2. Jeremy Bentham
3. Edmund Burke
4 Noam Chomsky
5. Thomas Paine
6. Hannah Arendt
7. Ho Chi Minh
8. Ayn Rand
9. Georg Hegel
10. Niccolo Machiavelli
and a bonus..
11. Stig of the Dump |
No Marx? I can't take your list seriously. Hegel wasn't even a political theorist. He was a philosopher whose theory of dialectics was idealistic rather than political. | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:09 - Jun 19 with 1489 views | BlueBadger |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:54 - Jun 19 by lowhouseblue |
this is where twtd gets too surreal for me. |
What with this and Dollers not understanding a very obvious joke last night, TWTD has been on peak form this last 24 or so hours. |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:13 - Jun 19 with 1480 views | lowhouseblue |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:09 - Jun 19 by BlueBadger |
What with this and Dollers not understanding a very obvious joke last night, TWTD has been on peak form this last 24 or so hours. |
indeed. dollars should be in anyone's top 10. | |
| And so as the loose-bowelled pigeon of time swoops low over the unsuspecting tourist of destiny, and the flatulent skunk of fate wanders into the air-conditioning system of eternity, I notice it's the end of the show |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:13 - Jun 19 with 1477 views | Ewan_Oozami |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:57 - Jun 19 by Herbivore |
No Marx? I can't take your list seriously. Hegel wasn't even a political theorist. He was a philosopher whose theory of dialectics was idealistic rather than political. |
Marx was too obvious - and have you ever tried to read Das Kapital? Makes Dickens sound interesting..
As for Hegel, did you know that Marx and Engels were "Young Hegelians"? | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:14 - Jun 19 with 1473 views | BlueBadger |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:13 - Jun 19 by lowhouseblue |
indeed. dollars should be in anyone's top 10. |
My TWTD top ten threads is pretty much all Dollers with an occasional Blueas, Malcy and Sitters. | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:17 - Jun 19 with 1462 views | Kropotkin123 |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:57 - Jun 19 by Herbivore |
No Marx? I can't take your list seriously. Hegel wasn't even a political theorist. He was a philosopher whose theory of dialectics was idealistic rather than political. |
I thought Élisée Reclus would be high on your list. Not sure why, maybe the essays on vegetarianism. | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:24 - Jun 19 with 1454 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
I nominate Sprucemoose...
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:26 - Jun 19 with 1453 views | Kropotkin123 |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:52 - Jun 19 by Trequartista |
Peter Ustinov |
Interesting. Globalism is not an idea that I've invested time into. Its hard for me to imagine such an organisation being free from corruption and giving enough localised consideration.
Will look into it more though. | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:34 - Jun 19 with 1435 views | WeWereZombies |
Plato
Niccolo Machiavelli
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
John Stuart Mill
Karl Marx
John Rawls
Amartya Sen
Martha Nussbaum |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:46 - Jun 19 with 1426 views | Herbivore |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:13 - Jun 19 by Ewan_Oozami |
Marx was too obvious - and have you ever tried to read Das Kapital? Makes Dickens sound interesting..
As for Hegel, did you know that Marx and Engels were "Young Hegelians"? |
Marx is obvious because he's clear number 1. Das Kapital is more of a text about economics and is seminal if somewhat dense.
Marx and Engels took the idea of dialectics from Hegel, but Hegel was really a philosopher and not a political theorist. I'm not sure Hegel himself or his ancestors would consider him a great political thinker. | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:57 - Jun 19 with 1412 views | Wacko |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:51 - Jun 19 by Kropotkin123 |
On Liberty is the best written book of the lot, in my opinion. It offers the greatest scope. I'd start here if you haven't read any of them.
Mutual Aid was the most important to me. But as a read it is very geographic. By that I mean it is a relentlessly scientific piece with case study after case study. Inspiring? Definitely. Tedious for most? Probably.
Civil Disobedience is a quick book to read and easy to understand. If you want a lighter book, with some really relevant theories to what we see in the news today, then this is great.
It's funny though, of all the people I've mentioned, the most enjoyable piece I've read was actually Voltaire's Candide. I got through that really quickly. Underated and very witty. |
Thanks. Mutual Aid has piqued my interest, especially as I cope with case studies better than the abstract theories I've read (or struggled to read) in books by guys like AJ Ayer or Deleuze and Guattari.
Candide is my favourite book! | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 00:09 - Jun 20 with 1390 views | Kropotkin123 |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 23:46 - Jun 19 by Herbivore |
Marx is obvious because he's clear number 1. Das Kapital is more of a text about economics and is seminal if somewhat dense.
Marx and Engels took the idea of dialectics from Hegel, but Hegel was really a philosopher and not a political theorist. I'm not sure Hegel himself or his ancestors would consider him a great political thinker. |
Das Kapital (Also known as Capital: A critique of political economy) is widely considered to be the best political economy book ever written. I don't think you can separate Marx's economics and politics.
I get what you mean, it is super heavy on the economics side. But if you aren't holding up Das Kapital as his greatest work, then what is? The Communist Manifesto? | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 07:45 - Jun 20 with 1279 views | Keno |
Surely one of ancient greeks, like Socrates or Plato should get a mention
and what about Thomas More and Johnathon Swift
and more lately Aldous Huxley |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 07:53 - Jun 20 with 1273 views | Herbivore |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 00:09 - Jun 20 by Kropotkin123 |
Das Kapital (Also known as Capital: A critique of political economy) is widely considered to be the best political economy book ever written. I don't think you can separate Marx's economics and politics.
I get what you mean, it is super heavy on the economics side. But if you aren't holding up Das Kapital as his greatest work, then what is? The Communist Manifesto? |
It is his greatest work but not his most accessible. The German Ideology was my gateway to Marx and is more accessible than Kapital. For pure clarity of thought and quality of polemic The Communist Manifesto is an incredible piece of work, in my opinion. | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 08:24 - Jun 20 with 1260 views | WeWereZombies |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 07:45 - Jun 20 by Keno |
Surely one of ancient greeks, like Socrates or Plato should get a mention
and what about Thomas More and Johnathon Swift
and more lately Aldous Huxley |
Errr, I did mention Plato. And Aristotle got a mention in another post earlier.
I cite Plato as the beginning of political theory not just because he wrote 'The Republic' (which may actually have been him putting Socrates thoughts into words because his teacher never wrote anything down) but because he used analogy so well he could be cited to have introduced the thought experiment. The idea of a cave of darkness out of which one stumbles into an outside world of light and colour is a liberating idea that illustrates the use of exploration and inquiry to flesh out our reasoning with practicality and information.
However, to go exploring and inquiring we rely on our senses and that takes us back to a couple of earlier pre-Socratic Greeks called Heraclitus and Paramenides arguing over whether all was flowing or everything was static; or forward to Descartes and Hume closing down how our brains and the bodies they reside in receive sense and then process it. Which would take us away from the narrow confines of politics and out into the setting of agendas that the apparatchiks scurry around chasing. No one has mentioned Armando Iannucci yet, but I guess he is with Swift in the satirist camp. | |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 08:40 - Jun 20 with 1240 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 22:54 - Jun 19 by lowhouseblue |
this is where twtd gets too surreal for me. |
Just say 'Joey Barton' and be done with it. |  |
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| Top 10 Political Theorists on 08:47 - Jun 20 with 1234 views | WeWereZombies |
| Top 10 Political Theorists on 08:40 - Jun 20 by Swansea_Blue |
Just say 'Joey Barton' and be done with it. |
If we are going down the footballers who dabble in philosophy route I would suggest that Albert Camus is a better suggestion, or George Weah for a footballer who has made a name for himself in politics. | |
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