The Poetics of Political Thinking

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political
Cover of the book The Poetics of Political Thinking by Davide Panagia, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Davide Panagia ISBN: 9780822387909
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: February 15, 2006
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Davide Panagia
ISBN: 9780822387909
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: February 15, 2006
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

In The Poetics of Political Thinking Davide Panagia focuses on the role that aesthetic sensibilities play in theorists’ evaluations of political arguments. Examining works by thinkers from Thomas Hobbes to Jacques Rancière, Panagia shows how each one invokes aesthetic concepts and devices, such as metaphor, mimesis, imagination, beauty, and the sublime. He argues that it is important to recognize and acknowledge these poetic forms of representation because they provide evaluative standards that theorists use in appraising the value of ideas—ideas about justice, politics, and democratic life. An investigation into the intertwined histories of aesthetic and political accounts of representation—such as Panagia presents here—sheds light on how modes of poetic thinking delimit the questions of unity and diversity that continue to animate contemporary political theory.

Panagia not only illuminates the structure of much contemporary political theory but also shows why understanding the poetics of political thinking is vital to contemporary society. Drawing on Gilles Deleuze’s critique of negation and his privileging of paradox as the source of political thought, Panagia suggests that a non-teleological concept of difference might generate insight into pressing questions about foreignness and citizenship. Turning to the liberal/poststructural debate that dominates contemporary political theory, he compares John Rawls’s concept of justice to Rancière’s ideas about political disagreement in order to demonstrate how, despite their differences, both thinkers comprehend aesthetic and moral reasoning as part and parcel of political writing. Considering the writings of William Hazlitt and Jürgen Habermas, he describes how the essay has become the exemplary genre of what is considered rational political argument. The Poetics of Political Thinking is a compelling reappraisal of the role of representation within political thought.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In The Poetics of Political Thinking Davide Panagia focuses on the role that aesthetic sensibilities play in theorists’ evaluations of political arguments. Examining works by thinkers from Thomas Hobbes to Jacques Rancière, Panagia shows how each one invokes aesthetic concepts and devices, such as metaphor, mimesis, imagination, beauty, and the sublime. He argues that it is important to recognize and acknowledge these poetic forms of representation because they provide evaluative standards that theorists use in appraising the value of ideas—ideas about justice, politics, and democratic life. An investigation into the intertwined histories of aesthetic and political accounts of representation—such as Panagia presents here—sheds light on how modes of poetic thinking delimit the questions of unity and diversity that continue to animate contemporary political theory.

Panagia not only illuminates the structure of much contemporary political theory but also shows why understanding the poetics of political thinking is vital to contemporary society. Drawing on Gilles Deleuze’s critique of negation and his privileging of paradox as the source of political thought, Panagia suggests that a non-teleological concept of difference might generate insight into pressing questions about foreignness and citizenship. Turning to the liberal/poststructural debate that dominates contemporary political theory, he compares John Rawls’s concept of justice to Rancière’s ideas about political disagreement in order to demonstrate how, despite their differences, both thinkers comprehend aesthetic and moral reasoning as part and parcel of political writing. Considering the writings of William Hazlitt and Jürgen Habermas, he describes how the essay has become the exemplary genre of what is considered rational political argument. The Poetics of Political Thinking is a compelling reappraisal of the role of representation within political thought.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book We Are All Equal by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book A Primer for Teaching African History by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Always More Than One by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Leaving Art by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Subjects and Citizens by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Bodies in Contact by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Beyond the Sacred Forest by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Little Manila Is in the Heart by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Global Indigenous Media by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Useful Knowledge by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Afro Asia by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Shaky Colonialism by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Wandering Peoples by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Rendering Life Molecular by Davide Panagia
Cover of the book Normal Aging II by Davide Panagia
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy