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Beyond Preference: Liberal Theories of Independent Associations
164 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1985
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December 5, 2022
Very dry, technical read. Gamwell develops a political theory that can account for "independent associations" (as he calls them). In the simplistic theories of the 19th century (represented here by the writings of Milton Friedman), there were only substantial differences between public associations and private associations. Some private associations, however, are "public-facing": they are oriented not merely towards private gain, but to the common good, and thus are of a higher value and importance. Gamwell wants to defend these substantial entities in their own right as the very essence of democracy--indeed, of all human activity and flourishing.
He begins by examining earlier theories of political association, loosely collected into three kinds of liberalism, each illustrated by a particular thinker: 19th century (Milton Friedman), 20th century (Alan Gewirth), and Reformed (John Dewey), a division that makes no sense even before you realise that these three were more-or-less 20th-century contemporaries. Anyways, in Friedman's and Gewirth's theories, associations amount to nothing more than the pursuit of preference. One can't say anything about an association's worth qua its orientation towards the public good. One can only say that its members choose to participate in it because they desire its ends. But what are its ends? Money? Love? Misery? The Spirit of Christmas? Some of these are good things, but some aren't, and Gewirth's and Friedman's ideas simply don't equip us with the ability to say which is which. "The established liberal view of happiness implies that self-interests are private, and it is in this sense that the individual is 'separate'." (152)
Dewey does a bit better, but Gamwell finds his "pragmatic empiricism" a bit suspect, for reasons I didn't really understand. His theory of associations is the shit, however. Gamwell spends the last chapter developing a different metaphysical (and moral) basis for Dewey's political thought. His one is informed by the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne. To be honest, by this point, my eyes had simply been wandering over the words for about half-an-hour. This is unfortunately a really dull book. Gamwell has such a dry, expository style of writing, and wastes far too much time being nice to his opponents and doubting himself. Just tell us what you think, man!
I found this book in a box of free books outside the Antiquariaat Isis in Groningen. It probably didn't end up there by mistake. An inscription on the flyleaf suggests it was a gift to the Ditchley Foundation in October 1985. The Ditchley Foundation is--apparently--a British organisation for the advancement of Anglo-US relations. The flyleaf also has one of those old cards that libraries use to mark their property (especially special-purpose or private collections). The logo on this card bears the name "Ataraxia" beneath an escutcheon. On the coat of arms there are three bells hanging from a rod. Under the escutcheon, the logo bears the name "Vincent Brümmer". Brümmer was a Dutch theologian and philosopher. Franklin Gamwell was also a theologian and philosopher, but he was American, not Dutch.
I felt compelled to write this interview because there is almost nothing about Franklin Gamwell on the internet, and even less about Beyond Preference. I'm afraid this is everything I can tell you about this book.
He begins by examining earlier theories of political association, loosely collected into three kinds of liberalism, each illustrated by a particular thinker: 19th century (Milton Friedman), 20th century (Alan Gewirth), and Reformed (John Dewey), a division that makes no sense even before you realise that these three were more-or-less 20th-century contemporaries. Anyways, in Friedman's and Gewirth's theories, associations amount to nothing more than the pursuit of preference. One can't say anything about an association's worth qua its orientation towards the public good. One can only say that its members choose to participate in it because they desire its ends. But what are its ends? Money? Love? Misery? The Spirit of Christmas? Some of these are good things, but some aren't, and Gewirth's and Friedman's ideas simply don't equip us with the ability to say which is which. "The established liberal view of happiness implies that self-interests are private, and it is in this sense that the individual is 'separate'." (152)
Dewey does a bit better, but Gamwell finds his "pragmatic empiricism" a bit suspect, for reasons I didn't really understand. His theory of associations is the shit, however. Gamwell spends the last chapter developing a different metaphysical (and moral) basis for Dewey's political thought. His one is informed by the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne. To be honest, by this point, my eyes had simply been wandering over the words for about half-an-hour. This is unfortunately a really dull book. Gamwell has such a dry, expository style of writing, and wastes far too much time being nice to his opponents and doubting himself. Just tell us what you think, man!
I found this book in a box of free books outside the Antiquariaat Isis in Groningen. It probably didn't end up there by mistake. An inscription on the flyleaf suggests it was a gift to the Ditchley Foundation in October 1985. The Ditchley Foundation is--apparently--a British organisation for the advancement of Anglo-US relations. The flyleaf also has one of those old cards that libraries use to mark their property (especially special-purpose or private collections). The logo on this card bears the name "Ataraxia" beneath an escutcheon. On the coat of arms there are three bells hanging from a rod. Under the escutcheon, the logo bears the name "Vincent Brümmer". Brümmer was a Dutch theologian and philosopher. Franklin Gamwell was also a theologian and philosopher, but he was American, not Dutch.
I felt compelled to write this interview because there is almost nothing about Franklin Gamwell on the internet, and even less about Beyond Preference. I'm afraid this is everything I can tell you about this book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review