The Problem of Anarchy: On the Phenomenology of Power and Anarchy
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2023-08-16
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en
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In this article, I present the ‘problem of anarchy’, which I identify in Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s A Note on Machiavelli. According to Merleau-Ponty, power has no absolute ground. Rather, its existence is always dependent on the faith of those over whom it is wielded. If faith is lost, power may thus dissolve, leading to ‘anarchy’. However, Merleau-Ponty also argues that power relations are necessary for the institution of politics and, consequently, human society. Hence the problem of anarchy. In this article, I identify a failed solution to this problem by Bernard Flynn. A better Merleau-Pontian response to the problem of anarchy advocates a plurality of political grounds. In conclusion, I develop this pluralistic theory in relation to a phenomenologically anarchist attitude.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen