Political realism as ideology critique

Prinz, Janosch and Rossi, Enzo (2017) Political realism as ideology critique. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 20 (3). pp. 334-348. ISSN 1369-8230

[thumbnail of Published manuscript]
Preview
PDF (Published manuscript) - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.

Download (1MB) | Preview
[thumbnail of Accepted manuscript]
Preview
PDF (Accepted manuscript) - Accepted Version
Download (195kB) | Preview

Abstract

This paper outlines an account of political realism as a form of ideology critique. We defend the normative edge of this critical-theoretic project against the common charge that there is a problematic trade-off between a theory’s groundedness in facts about the political status quo and its ability to envisage radical departures from the status quo. To overcome that problem, we combine insights from theories of legitimacy by Bernard Williams and other realists, Critical Theory, and analytic epistemological and metaphysical theories of cognitive bias, ideology and social construction. The upshot is an account of realism as empirically informed critique of social and political phenomena. We reject a sharp divide between descriptive and normative theory, and so provide an alternative to the anti-empiricism of some approaches to Critical Theory as well as to the complacency towards existing power structures found within liberal realism, let alone mainstream normative political philosophy, liberal or otherwise.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: political realism,ideology critique,bernard williams,critical theory
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Cultural Politics, Communications & Media
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 22 Apr 2017 05:09
Last Modified: 21 Oct 2022 11:31
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/63280
DOI: 10.1080/13698230.2017.1293908

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item