Philosophizing the indefensible

“Philosophizing the indefensible: strategic political theory”

Oxford University Press, Oct. 2023

This book asks what distinctive contributions political philosophers might make when reflecting on patently indefensible policies – the kinds of policies that, for all their urgency, seem to call only for political activism rather than political theorizing. My proposed answer revolves around what I term “strategic political theory”: showing how the conclusions desired by these policies’ unreasonable advocates do not follow, even if we adopt their perspective on the world, arguendo, and even if – crucially – we go beyond the unreasonable themselves in making this perspective as rigorous as it can be.

The book links this effort to argue from bad premises to better policies to a democratic hope regarding the possible philosophical quality of political discourse. I contend that respect for our fellow citizens requires that we retain this hope, and explain why the attempt to systematize even unreasonable views held by our fellow citizens embodies multiple valuable forms of respect among co-citizens. I also anticipate at length two natural worries – that by working to systematize unreasonable positions, strategic theorizing legitimates reprehensible views, and that strategic theorizing’s practical value is bound to be limited at best. I then illustrate strategic theorizing by delving into detailed examples, ranging from abortion controversies, through dealings with petrocrats and environmental policy, to the rise of right-wing populism.

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