The virtues of politics in fearful times
International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior
ISSN: 1093-4537
Article publication date: 1 March 2014
Issue publication date: 1 March 2014
Abstract
While many warn about the failures of politics, this article argues that politics serves to resolve conflicts of interests and values among us in a manner that limits the use of violence and also protects and fosters value pluralism and freedom. Public administration scholars often look to science to improve governance but science cannot resolve our many conflicting ends and values, nor can it take proper account of the freedom and resulting sheer unpredictability that we have come to experience within our own tradition of politics. It is argued that the practice of politics requires not a science of governance, but simply a certain kind of toleration, namely a willingness to hear the other side and to engage in practices of adversary argument. Implications for the "politics of fear" are also discussed.
Citation
Spicer, M.W. (2014), "The virtues of politics in fearful times", International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 65-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-17-01-2014-B004
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, by PrAcademics Press