What for is this “theory” anyway?

Svenska social- och kommunalhögskolan

vid Helsingfors universitet, 9.12.2009

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

THEORY
here: Theory of society and the individual

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 THEORY
here: Theory of society and the individual

Classical:
Practical Philosophy (Politics&Law and Ethics)

Moral and social philosophy, Political theory,

Philosophy of Psychology

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 THEORY
here: Theory of society and the individual

Developed until today:

- Economical theory
- Philosophy of Science, Labour, Medicine, …
- Gender theory
- Culture theory

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 CRISIS OF THEORY ?

Academical discourse:
- Post-Modernity: The Enlightenment failed
- 1989-92: Clash of Ideologies has ended
- Western Anti-Intellectualism

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 CRISIS OF THEORY ?

Contemporary “Common Sense”:

- Anthropology of Homo Economicus
- Empiricist expert replaced the philosopher
- Private life independent from state & society

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 FUNCTIONS OF THEORY
in philosophy and the sciences

- systematic, comprehensive attempts to solve

problems
- analytical tools for understanding, explaining,
and making predictions about a given subject

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 FUNCTIONS OF THEORY
in society and social discourse

Classical:
Making sense of our lives and questioning the
value and meaning of things around us
Contemporary:
Communication of value and worldview sets,
tool to engineer society

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 FUNCTIONS OF THEORY
for oneself

- Learning and developmental resource

- Canon to communicate within mass society
- Tool to generate positions and opinions
coherent with one´s values and beliefs

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 CURRENTS OF THEORY

World Systems Theory (Immanuel Wallerstein)

Political Liberalism (John Rawls)
Econophysics (H. Eugene Stanley)
Evolutional Psychology (Cosmides/Tooby)
Marxist Historiography (Eric Hobsbawm)
Post-Feminism (Judith Butler)

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 CURRENTS OF THEORY

World Systems Theory (Immanuel Wallerstein)

Political Liberalism (John Rawls)
Econophysics (H. Eugene Stanley)
Evolutional Psychology (Cosmides/Tooby)
Marxist Historiography (Eric Hobsbawm
Post-Feminism (Judith Butler)

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 FUTURE ROLE OF THEORY ?

Old and New Cleavages:

Economic crisis, environment and natural
resources, international power relations, post-
secularism and fundamentalism, industrial
transformations, social change, exclusion,
identity evolution, ...

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München

 FUTURE ROLE OF THEORY ?

Interdependency of Questions and Answers:

- Discourse needs background
- Availability = democratization of information?
- Complex systems need aedequate tools

What for is this “theory” anyway?

Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München


READING IDEAS
Barkow/Cosmides/Tooby, The adapted mind
1992
Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation 1985
Butler, Gender Trouble 1990
Foucalt, The History of Sexuality 1984
Hampton, Political philosophy 1997
Hobsbawm, The Age of Extremes 1994
Hobsbawm, Globalisation, Democracy and
Terrorism 2007
Horkheimer, Traditional and Critical Theory 1937
Horowitz, Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the
American Left 2004
Horowitz, www.FrontPageMag.com 2009
Falko Blumenthal, Hochschule für Politik München
Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations 1996
Kohler et al., Globalization. Critical Perspectives
2003
Mantegna/Stanley, An Introduction to
Econophysics 1999
Persky, Retrospectives: The Ethology of Homo
Economicus, in: The Journal of Economic
Perspectives, Vol. 9, No. 2, Spring 1995
Popper, Conjectures and Refutations 1963
Rawls, Justice as Fairness 2001
Rawls, Political Liberalism 1996
Salih, Judith Butler 2002
Schick, Readings in the Philosophy of Science
2000
Wallerstein, The Modern World-System 1974
 THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME...

This presentation will be online at

http://tacksaamycket.blogspot.com

Falko Blumenthal
student of Political Sciences and Political Economy at the Munich School
of Political Science, visiting student at SSKH 2009/10, specializing in
political theory & urban and industrial studies
feel free to contact me on Facebook or by e-mail