College of Education

School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017

Lecturer: Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Department of Political Science

Session Overview

• This session discusses Normative Political Theory (NPT). It looks at the various views on normativism; and explain significance and criticisms levelled against the theory. By the end of the session, students should be able to:

• Define NPT

• State its features

• Explain its significance

• Stare the criticisms of the theory

Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS Slide 2

Session Outline

• Explaining NPT

• Ernest Barker’s View of NPT

• Isaiah Berlin’s View

• Merits of NPT

• Critique of NPT

• Response to Critique by NPT Scholars

• Conclusion

• Review Question

• Reference

Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS Slide 3

Reading List

• Refer to relevant Unit of the Poli 442 Social and Political Theory Module

• Bryant, C.G.A., Positivism in Social Theory and Research, (London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1985).

Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS Slide 4

Normative Political Theory Explained

• Normative Political Theory is also called the Historicist Approach to the study of politics.

• It can be explained in terms of all political theorizing that prescribes and recommends and is concerned with values, norms or “what ought to be” in sharp contrast with facts or “what is” (Berlin, 2002).

• Those who subscribe to the tenets of this theory have argued that values cannot be separated from facts and that truth is not absolute but rather subjective and perspectival.

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 5

Ernest Baker’s View of NPT

• Barker (1951) believes that normativism deals with values largely because political ends determine the value of other things which serves as their means.

• According to him, there are certain fundamental questions of political theory that have remained since time immemorial and would forever remain in human society.

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 6

Ernest Baker’s view of NPT cont’d

Some of these very fundamental issues include:

• Why the state exists

• The purpose and ends of the state

• The appropriate means for realizing the ends of the state.

Finally, Barker (1951) believes that political theory determines the ends and ultimate values that govern the life of a society.

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 7

Isaiah Berlin’s View on NPT

• According to Isaiah Berlin, Normative Political Theory involves the discovery and application of moral notions in the area of political relations.

• Berlin (2002) also believes that Normative Political Theory is a branch of moral philosophy which to him comprises the basic and elementary moral propositions that impact on political life.

• Berlin (2002) postulates further that NPT finds expression in a detailed understanding of institutions and policies .

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 8

Isaiah Berlin’s View on NPT cont’d

According to Berlin (2002), using Normative Political Theory typically involves:

• Internal consistency and logical coherence of moral arguments through clarification of concepts

• Making use or borrowing concepts from other disciplines such as economics, history, psychology, etc in order to check the accuracy of the empirical assumptions underlying arguments advanced and to bring out the problems in moral arguments which are not revealed immediately in abstract reasoning

• Examining conclusions of arguments in the light of their own intuition.

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 9

Merits of NPT

• Normative Political Theory prescribes the rules and norms that must guide the conduct of politics.

• Normative Political Theory promotes accountability and responsiveness in the sense that the actions and activities of leaders are judged by the rules that are expected to guide them.

• It is as a result of normativism that important concepts like democracy, participation, rule of law, equality have thrived.

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 10

Critique to NPT

• First of all, it has been argued that not all human beings can make meaningful moral choices.

• Secondly, the theory has been criticized for being too abstract and dealing with issues that are remote and far from realities of life.

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 11

Response to the Critique

Advocates of the Normative Political Theory have responded to the criticisms that have been leveled against the theory.

• First of all, they do concede that moral propositions are not facts.

• Secondly, the theory is able to disclose the logical relationship implicit in moral discourses in the same vein that the natural sciences emphasize logic and critical thinking as important tools.

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 12

Response to critique cont’d

• Finally, even though the theory is criticized for prescribing only “what ought to be”, it has been argued that facts can only make sense when they are used within the context of values or “what ought to be”.

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 13

Conclusion

• Normative Political Theory is an important theory that presents the norms that guides politics. It has suffered severe criticisms, nevertheless, its importance cannot be under-estimated

Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS Slide 14

Review Questions

• What is the central argument of NPT

• Explain the three main steps that must be followed in NPT according to Isaiah Berlin

• Mention and explain the relevance of NPT

• What are the criticisms against NPT?

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 15

References

• Bryant, C.G.A., Positivism in Social Theory and Research, (London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1985).

• Iain, Mclean, Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics,(New York: Oxford University Press, 1996).

• McClelland, J.S., A History of Western Political Thought, (London: Routhledge, 2002).

Prof. R.E.V. GYAMPO, Dept of Political Science, UG Slide 16