Anatomy of Failure: Philosophy and Political Action
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Author Description
Modern liberalism begins in the forgetting of the English Revolution. Anatomy of Failure seeks to right that wrong by exploring the concept of political action, playing its history against its philosophy. The 1640s are a period of institutional failure and political disaster: the country plunges into civil war, every agent is naked. Established procedures are thrown aside and the very grounds for action are fiercely debated and recast. Five queries emerge in the experience of the New Model Army, five queries that outline an anatomy of failure, isolating the points at which actors disagree, conflict flares up, and alliances dissolve: Who can act? On what grounds? Who is right about what is to be done? Why do we succeed or fail? If you and I split, were we ever united, and to what end? The application of these questions to the Leveller-agitator writings, and then to Thomas Hobbes and John Locke's philosophies, generates models of political action. No mere philosophical abstractions, the Hobbesian and Lockean models of sovereign and contractual action have dominated the very practice of politics for centuries. Today it is time to recuperate the Leveller-agitator model of joint action, a model unique in its adequacy to the threat of failure and in its vocation for building the common-wealth. Anatomy of Failure is ideal for upper-level undergraduates and postgraduates taking courses in Contemporary Political Philosophy, Continental Philosophy, Modern European Philosophy, Contemporary French Philosophy, Critical Theory and Radical Political Thought.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the concept of political action by examining the historical and philosophical failures of the English Revolution. The author, Oliver Feltham, draws upon the experience of the New Model Army during the 1640s to formulate five queries that dissect the anatomy of political failure, focusing on points of disagreement, conflict, and dissolution. These questions are then applied to the writings of the Levellers and Agitators, as well as the philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, to construct models of political action. The work argues for the recuperation of the Leveller-Agitator model of joint action as a more adequate response to failure and a better foundation for building a common-wealth.
THE SCOPE MAP
- Analysis of the English Revolution and its impact on modern liberalism.
- Exploration of the concept of political action through historical and philosophical lenses.
- Five key queries derived from the New Model Army's experience to understand political failure.
- Examination of Leveller-Agitator writings and their models of joint action.
- Philosophical analysis of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke's theories of sovereign and contractual action.
- Models of political action that have dominated Western political practice.
- An argument for the relevance of the Leveller-Agitator model for contemporary political thought.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
The book is positioned as ideal for upper-level undergraduates and postgraduates in fields such as Contemporary Political Philosophy, Continental Philosophy, Modern European Philosophy, Contemporary French Philosophy, Critical Theory, and Radical Political Thought. Its interdisciplinary approach, blending historical analysis of the English Revolution with philosophical examination of key thinkers like Hobbes and Locke, suggests a text aimed at scholars and advanced students. The publisher's description highlights its ambition to recuperate a specific historical model of political action, indicating a focus on theoretical depth and critical engagement with established political thought.
Page Count:
290
Publication Date:
2013-01-01
ISBN-10:
1441160884
ISBN-13:
9781441160881
Philosophy
History
Non-Fiction
Science
Political Philosophy
Critical Theory
Continental Philosophy
