Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis This subject explores the nature of modern political action. It focuses on human agency, `practical' understanding and interpretation, and the `making' of the public world. It develops the emerging understanding of politics as a cultural and critical science, rather than a naturalistic and instrumental one. It brings together three perspectives: (1) Machiavelli and the transformation of classic statecraft; (2) Arendt and the existential attack on dehumanising process; (3) the philosophy of action and the constitution of public meanings. Major themes are: action and modernity - novelty, historicity, and uncertainty; action and creativity - necessity and freedom, nature and culture; action and power - cunning, virtue, and violence; action and performance - appearance, role, and political drama; action and humanity - `hero', leader, people, and mass; action and meaning - intelligibility, strangeness, and the decline of the public.
Assessment Written, including seminar participation (3000 words): 50% + Examination (3 hours): 50%