It is perhaps surprising to claim that the master of abstruse German philosophy and dialectical logic might be thought to have a practical theory of the workings of government. But in fact, Hegel’s Philosophy of Right contains some ideas that look a lot like such a theory. For Hegel discusses not merely the authority and Continue reading

This blog is aimed at creating interest and discussion in a field of philosophy that doesn’t really exist, the philosophy of public policy and public administration. It is a bit bold to announce a new field of study within philosophy. After, all, if the discipline has gotten by without a careful study of the workings Continue reading

Ivan Ermakoff’s 2008 book Ruling Oneself Out: A Theory of Collective Abdications is dense, rigorous, and important. It treats two historical episodes in close detail — the passing of Hitler’s enabling bill by the German Reichstag in the Kroll Opera House in March 1933 (“Law for the Relief of the People and of the Reich”) and the Continue reading

Philosophy has well-developed theories and discussions about the foundations of government — the moral principles that underlie the legitimacy of government; the nature of rights and duties of citizens; the limits of government authority; and so on for a large number of issues. This discipline is called social and political philosophy, and it has a Continue reading