Dr Christopher Fear C.Fear@hull.ac.uk
Lecturer in Politics and International Relations
William E. Connolly's politics of complexity: a critique
Fear, Christopher
Authors
Abstract
Copyright © University of Notre Dame 2017. In recent years, William E. Connolly has argued that the phenomenon of complexity in the physical sciences carries radical implications for political theory: namely, that political theorists should now be revising their concepts of agency, responsibility, and freedom. This very recent project of Connolly's has not (yet) attracted much opposition. Here I offer a critique of Connolly's argument which focuses on three key areas: (1) how he interprets and deploys evidence from physical science; (2) his theory of creative freedom; and (3) the impact that his recent philosophy has on the idea of the intellect. I argue that Connolly's scientific evidence is not what he claims it is; that the theory of creative freedom he offers fails; and that his critique of the intellect fails in theory, and would be highly damaging in practice.
Citation
Fear, C. (2017). William E. Connolly's politics of complexity: a critique. Review of Politics, 79(1), 73-98. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670516000735
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Feb 23, 2016 |
Online Publication Date | Jan 9, 2017 |
Publication Date | 2017 |
Deposit Date | Jul 16, 2019 |
Publicly Available Date | Mar 29, 2024 |
Journal | Review of Politics |
Print ISSN | 0034-6705 |
Electronic ISSN | 1748-6858 |
Publisher | University of Notre Dame |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 79 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 73-98 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670516000735 |
Keywords | Political Science and International Relations; Sociology and Political Science |
Public URL | https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/2193689 |
Publisher URL | https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-politics/article/william-e-connollys-politics-of-complexity-a-critique/EA1448AAB2BA4E355FCF3F06DA25F13B |
Additional Information | This article has been published in a revised form in Review of politics DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S003467051600073. This version is published under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND. No commercial re-distribution or re-use allowed. Derivative works cannot be distributed. © copyright holder. |
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Copyright Statement
This article has been published in a revised form in Review of politics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S003467051600073. This version is published under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND. No commercial re-distribution or re-use allowed. Derivative works cannot be distributed. © copyright holder.
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