Publisher Description

Ludwig Wittgenstein was arguably the most important philosopher of the twentieth century. Although his writings have influenced a range of philosophical and cultural movements, this effect was not felt strongly in political theory. Indeed, the most comprehensive study of Wittgenstein and political theory was published over thirty five years ago. Wittgenstein and Political Theory, newly available in paperback, sets out to reconnect Wittgenstein with a range of problems and trends within contemporary political theory. The central argument of the book is that Wittgenstein offers scholars doing the difficult work of theorizing political life today an orientation and array of useful conceptual and critical tools. In particular, Wittgenstein's remarks on perception are brought to bear on theory's historical and etymological roots in clear seeing. The effect of these remarks is to free the theorist to explore the city of language and shed fresh light on political concepts such as liberty, dignity, dissent, and ideology.This book is designed to be read by graduate students and advanced undergraduates who are interested in both Wittgenstein's philosophy and strategies for achieving political vision in this age where politics has been replaced by bureaucracy as the predominant form of public order, and now takes the form of dissent. Key Features *Presents a clear, accessible exposition of Wittgenstein's philosophy, including his remarks on perception *Carefully describes the terrain of contemporary political theory *Introduces a tradition of political theory that counters the epic tradition

Back Cover

Wittgenstein and Political TheoryChristopher C. Robinson'This thoughtful and engaging book stages a series of conversations between Wittgenstein and a broad range of contemporary political theorists. Robinson offers us a refreshingly down-to-earth account of a Wittgensteinian "path of politics" - a path through the land of everyday gestures, words, protests, and affirmations, a path that calls us to trust the uncanny ordinariness of language.'Jane Bennett, Johns Hopkins University, author of Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things (2009)Ludwig Wittgenstein was arguably the most important philosopher of the twentieth century. Although his writings have influenced a range of philosophical and cultural movements, this effect was not felt strongly in political theory. Indeed, the most comprehensive study of Wittgenstein and political theory was published over thirty five years ago. Wittgenstein and Political Theory sets out to reconnect Wittgenstein with a range of problems and trends within contemporary political theory. The central argument of the book is that Wittgenstein offers scholars doing the difficult work of theorizing political life today an orientation and array of useful conceptual and critical tools. In particular, Wittgenstein's remarks on perception are brought to bear on theory's historical and etymological roots in clear seeing. The effect of these remarks is to free the theorist to explore the city of language and shed fresh light on political concepts such as liberty, dignity, dissent, and ideology.This book is designed to be read by graduate students and advanced undergraduates who are interested in both Wittgenstein's philosophy and strategies for achieving political vision in this age where politics has been replaced by bureaucracy as the predominant form of public order, and now takes the form of dissent.Christopher C. Robinson is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Clarkson University, New York.

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Wittgenstein and Political TheoryChristopher C. Robinson'This thoughtful and engaging book stages a series of conversations between Wittgenstein and a broad range of contemporary political theorists. Robinson offers us a refreshingly down-to-earth account of a Wittgensteinian "path of politics" - a path through the land of everyday gestures, words, protests, and affirmations, a path that calls us to trust the uncanny ordinariness of language.'Jane Bennett, Johns Hopkins University, author of Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things (2009)Ludwig Wittgenstein was arguably the most important philosopher of the twentieth century. Although his writings have influenced a range of philosophical and cultural movements, this effect was not felt strongly in political theory. Indeed, the most comprehensive study of Wittgenstein and political theory was published over thirty five years ago. Wittgenstein and Political Theory sets out to reconnect Wittgenstein with a range of problems and trends within contemporary political theory. The central argument of the book is that Wittgenstein offers scholars doing the difficult work of theorizing political life today an orientation and array of useful conceptual and critical tools. In particular, Wittgenstein's remarks on perception are brought to bear on theory's historical and etymological roots in clear seeing. The effect of these remarks is to free the theorist to explore the city of language and shed fresh light on political concepts such as liberty, dignity, dissent, and ideology.This book is designed to be read by graduate students and advanced undergraduates who are interested in both Wittgenstein's philosophy and strategies for achieving political vision in this age where politics has been replaced by bureaucracy as the predominant form of public order, and now takes the form of dissent.Christopher C. Robinson is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Clarkson University, New York.

Author Biography

Christopher C. Robinson is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Clarkson University, New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Wittgenstein and the Scene of Contemporary Political Theory; 1. Theorizing as a Lived Experience: A Wittgensteinian Investigation; 2. Wittgenstein's Philosophy After the Disaster; 3. Wittgenstein and Citizenship: Reading Socrates in Tehran; 4. Why Wittgenstein Is Not Conservative: Conventions and Critique; 5. Aspect Blindness in Religion, Philosophy, and Law: The Force of Wittgenstein Reading; 6. Seeing As It Happens: Theorizing Politics Through The Eyes of Wittgenstein; 7. Bare Life: Comedy, Trust, and Language in Wittgenstein and Beckett; Conclusion: The Personal Is The Theoretical; Bibliography.

Long Description

Ludwig Wittgenstein was arguably the most important philosopher of the twentieth century. Although his writings have influenced a range of philosophical and cultural movements, this effect was not felt strongly in political theory. Indeed, the most comprehensive study of Wittgenstein and political theory was published over thirty five years ago.Wittgenstein and Political Theory sets out to reconnect Wittgenstein with a range of problems and trends within contemporary political theory. The central argument of the book is that Wittgenstein offers scholars doing the difficult work of theorizing political life today an orientation and array of useful conceptual and critical tools. In particular, Wittgenstein's remarks on perception are brought to bear on theory's historical and etymological roots in clear seeing. The effect of these remarks is to free the theorist to explore the city of language and shed fresh light on political concepts such as liberty, dignity, dissent, and ideology.This book is designed to be read by graduate students and advanced undergraduates who are interested in both Wittgenstein's philosophy and strategies for achieving political vision in this age where politics has been replaced by bureaucracy as the predominant form of public order, and now takes the form of dissent.Key Features*Presents a clear, accessible exposition of Wittgenstein's philosophy, including his remarks on perception*Carefully describes the terrain of contemporary political theory*Introduces a tradition of political theory that counters the epic tradition

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Transforms Wittgenstein's philosophy into a range of useful conceptual and critical tools for political theorists

Description for Reader

Provides an orientation and an array of conceptual & critical tools for scholars theorising political life today Christopher Robinson connects Wittgenstein's philosophy to strategies for achieving political vision in this age where politics has been replaced by bureaucracy as the predominant form of public order, and now takes the form of dissent. In particular, Wittgenstein's remarks on perception are brought to bear on theory's historical and etymological roots in clear seeing. This frees the theorist to explore the city of language and sheds fresh light on political concepts such as liberty, dignity, dissent, and ideology. This book is designed to be read by graduate students and advanced undergraduates who are interested in both Key Features Presents a clear exposition of Wittgenstein's philosophy, including his remarks on perception Carefully describes the terrain of contemporary political theory Introduces a tradition of political theory that counters the epic tradition

Description for Sales People

Catalogue: Shoutline, blurb Christopher Robinson connects Wittgenstein's philosophy to strategies for achieving political vision in this age where politics has been replaced by bureaucracy as the predominant form of public order, and now takes the form of dissent.In particular, Wittgenstein's remarks on perception are brought to bear on theory's historical and etymological roots in clear seeing. This sheds fresh light on political concepts such as liberty, dignity, dissent, and ideology.o Presents a clear exposition of Wittgenstein's philosophy, including his remarks on perceptiono Carefully describes the terrain of contemporary political theoryo Introduces a tradition of political theory that counters the epic traditionSeasonal BlurbNew in Paperback Transforms Wittgenstein's philosophy into a range of useful conceptual and critical tools for political theoristsChristopher C. Robinson takes the famous philosophy of Wittgenstein, particularly his /Philosophical Investigations/, and relates it in a new way to political theory. He takes the key concepts from Wittgenstein's work, such as immanence, transcendence, language, perception, postmodernism and the bare life, and connects them to a range of problems and trends in contemporary political theory, such as how we resist turning away from horror and inhumanity, and the problem of justice in a radically contingent world. He engages with philosophers, critical theorists and political theorists from Plato, Aristotle and Tocqueville to Mouffe and Laclau, and from Aletta Norval and Linda Zerilli to Richard Rorty and Jean-Francois-Lyotard.AI BlurbShoutlineTransforms Wittgenstein's philosophy into a range of useful conceptual and critical tools for political theorists todayMain DescriptionChristopher Robinson takes the famous philosophy of Wittgenstein, particularly his Philosophical Investigations , and relates it in a new way to political theory. He takes the key concepts from Wittgenstein

Description for Teachers/Educators

Wittgenstein; Language and Politics; Philosophy of Language; Ordinary Language Philosophy; Contemporary Political Theory; Cultural Theory; Social Theory; Contemporary Political Philosophy; Contemporary Philosophy; Linguistic Philosophy; Contemporary Social and Political Thought; Ordinary Language Philosophy.

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