on montesquieu, markets and the liberalism of fear

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Kabinetprostudiumvědy,technikyaspolečnosti,FLÚAVČRaKatedrabezpečnostníchstudiíIPSFSVUK

Vászvounapřednášku

OnMontesquieu,marketsandtheliberalismoffear

ProfessorThomasOsborneSchoolofSociology,PoliticsandInternationalStudies(SPAIS)

UniversityofBristolPřednáškaproběhne11.května2018,od11hodnaFSVUK,Smetanovonábř.6,

Praha1,(„Hollar“)vmístnosti212

Thispaperdiscussesthequestionofliberalismandmarketpoliticsviasomeadhocreflectionsfromthe history of socio-political ideas. Today liberalism has become just about synonymous – forproponents and opponents alike – with market liberalism or in the current parlance withneo-liberalism. According to this logic, to invoke liberalism at allis to invoke the absolute primacy ofmarketsagainst justaboutanythingelse.Thispaperargues that thisrepresentsa theftof theveryidea of liberalism, that the concept of liberalismhas been stolen!Weneed, in short, to rescue thebabyfromthebath-water.Thepaperverybrieflymentionssomestrategiesforbeginningtodothis,includingthosederivedbroadlyfromANTandtheanthropologyofeconomiclife,andalsofromsomeof the reflections of Michel Foucault. Then we take a turn towards history, or at least towardsMontesquieu. Drawing on Judith Shklar's notion of the 'liberalism of fear'a different model ofliberalismisproposed,onewhichemphasises itspoliticalstatusnotasamarket-centredeconomicideologybutasavariegatedhistoricalassemblagebasedonaprincipledpoliticalscepticismtowardsthe exercise of power. Different strands of liberalism have of course led in different directions inconsiderationofmarketsandtodifferentkindsofmarketpolitics;theliberalismoffearencouragesustoseemarketsasentangled,forbetterorworse,insystemsofpower.Exactlyinwhatwaysthisisforbetterorworseisthecrucial–butopen–question.InattemptingtoelucidatethisperspectivethepaperfocusesonMontesquieu'sstrandofthinkingaboutthecausesandconsequencesofcommerceinhistory.ItoutlinessomeofthewaysinwhichMontesquieuconnectedtheforcesofcommercetotherestrictionofpower,especially inrelationtowhathecalleddespotism. Indoingso it joinswithAlbertHirschman inrecommending theuseofhistorical considerations inassessingcontemporaryissues;asameansnotnecessarilyofsolvingquestionsonceandforallbut,perhapsmorepertinently,forposingthemindifferentwaysandtherebyhopefullyadjustingsomeofthemorestatictermsofdebatewithwhichweareburdened.

Tato akce je podpořena projektem UNCE/HUM/037 „Spojení člověk-stroj a jeho vliv namezinárodní řád“ a GAČRprojektemč.16-18371Y„Hledáníztracenéhočasu“,realizovanýmnaFLÚAVČR.ThomasOsborneděkujezapodporuLeverhulmeTrust(ThomasOsborneacknowledgesthesupportofLeverhulmeTrust).Pracovnímjazykempřednáškyadiskuzejeangličtina.Kontakt:FilipVostal(vostal@flu.cas.cz)