Ateneo - UPO

In the public sphere we often hear complains about lack of realism. But what does it mean to be a realist? And why should we be one? This Workshop will introduce and assess “political realism,” both its history (in figures like Thucydides and Machiavelli) and its contemporary appearance (in writers like Bernard Williams and Raymond Geuss), often framed in reaction to the approach to political philosophy associated with John Rawls. Political realism can be characterized by four main ideas. First, external reality is painfully independent from our wishes, and we need to carefully avoid the idealism which overenphasizes the ability of values to spread through the world in virtue of their truth. Second, some features of this reality can be modified, but we should avoid the utopianism of those who yearn for attractive yet unreachable horizons. Third, political reality depends on the fact that the human need to live with others is constantly undermined by conflicts. Thus we need to avoid the moralism of those who think politics is like a polite exchange of public reasons. Fourth, political actors need to consider attentively the means at their disposals, the possibility of success and any inevitable consequences. In so doing, realism reject the intellectualism of those who are content with contemplating ideals, without any worry about realizing them in the world. Workshop sessions will explore and problematize this picture of political realism, as well as try to assess the merits of this position in theorizing about politics.

Excerpts uploaded on DIR:
• Bernard Williams, “The amoralist”, in. “Morality: An Introduction to Ethics”, (Cambridge University Press 1972), pp. 3-13
• Thucydides, On Justice, Power and Human Nature, trans. By Paul Woodruff (Hackett, 1993), pp. 31-37; 39-50; 66-76; 89-93; 102-109
• Niccolò Machiavelli, “The Prince”, Chapters 14-19, (Oxford University Press 2005), pp. 50-71.
• Carlo Burelli, Subjectivity is Objective: Thomas Hobbes on Normative Truths. In: Notizie di Politeia, XXXIV, 129, 98-113.
• Bernard Williams from In the Beginning was the Deed (Princeton University Press 2005): Chapter 1, “Realism and Moralism in Political Theory”
• Raymond Geuss, ‘Philosophy and Real Politics’, (Princeton University Press 2008), Introduction and Chapter 1
• Carlo Burelli, Il realismo in filosofia politica, Carocci 2020, Introduzione

• To grasp and communicate political realism’s problems and paradigms
• To understand and reconstruct philosophical texts
• To analyze and evaluate moral and political arguments
• To develop, and convincingly argue for, one’s own positions
• To criticize unwarranted positions in the public debate

Knowledge and capabilities acquired in the undergraduate studies: 1. Basic Knowledge of politics. 2. Capability of clear and correct exposition of the readings and of one’s own position, both in the discussion and in the papers.

The course will involve both lecture and seminars. For each class students will have to prepare the assigned readings, and submit a question for the discussion the day before class.

Oral examination that will attest learning, critical comprehension and original reframing of the topics

• Ought, Ises, and Normative Philosophy
• Political Realism between description, interpretation and criticism
• Thucydides
• Machiavelli
• Hobbes
• Williams
• Geuss
• Idealism, Utopianism, Moralism and Intellectualism

The ability to assess the tradition of political realism, in both its strengths and weaknesses.
The ability to apply the learned knowledge to the important topics of the public debate, arguing about what issues would benefit from more realism, and what issues would be derailed by a realist perspective.