Primary Sources
Interviews
Mentor Visits
Observations
Evidence Of Learning 2/5
Mentor: Dr. Ruderman
Profession/Title: Professor of Political Philosophy
Business/Company name: University of North Texas
Date of Meeting: February 3rd, 2021
Dr. Richard Ruderman (Ph.D. from the University of Chicago) specializes in Political Philosophy and Theory with a specialization in literature. In addition to teaching classes on those subjects at UNT’s School of Liberal Arts, his research investigates the intersectionality of international politics, economics, and law.
Since the start of the mentorship, Dr. Ruderman and I have spent time figuring out what literature would be most helpful for me to start out reading. Much of critical theory and works influenced by Marxism and other philosophers is obscure and difficult, making it very difficult to get through. It’s also very easy to run out of morale as these theorists often point out problems of society, the solutions to which are nowhere near in our timeline. The aim of philosophical writers may be more to add to the canon of thought rather than to influence the masses. Philosophy can be confusing and complicated - even the well-read works of Kant, Kierkegaard, or St. Augustine can take a lot of teeth-gritting to truly comprehend.
Due to this, we decided to start out at the beginning with The Classics. We decided to begin reading a Socratic Dialogue called Lysis: The Meaning of Friendship translated by Bolotin. Lysis, is a dialogue of Plato which discusses the nature of philia, translated to friendship. We had already completed analyzing the first section of the text, Meeting Hippothales, during our previous meeting. During this meeting, we read the second subsection of the text, Introduction to Lysis.
There isn't a great deal of historical context necessary to the understanding of the Lysis, except a general grasp of how relationships between men and boys often functioned in Athenian life at the time (see Lover, in the Terms list). Nonetheless, it is sometimes helpful to recall that the Athens in which Plato wrote the Socratic dialogues was not a static, ideal state; Plato was writing about philosophical ideals, but his specific concerns and examples are often shaped by an awareness of the national and international power struggles that helped shape Athenian society. The Greek code of virtue and honor, based strongly in poetry and religion, was generally seen as self- evident; it had certainly never been subjected to the kind of relentless analysis that Socrates developed. Both Socrates and Plato criticized and re- invented Athenian systems of value, and both ran into real-world trouble with the judicial and governmental structures in which those values were embodied. The Lysis is an intriguing instance of Plato working carefully, through Socrates, at one of the very centers of Athenian social life.
In this section, Socrates first ‘analyses’ Hippothales, who is infatuated with Lysis), and promises to show Hippothales how to love Lysis properly. He does so by talking with Lysis as a separate individual – that is, he seeks to befriend rather than fall for him, which should show Hippothales the necessity of seeing his infatuation for what it is, at least in part. The conversation with Lysis that follows is fascinating on a number of counts too. There is the discussion about whether friendship is formed between individuals who are similar or dissimilar, and the suggestion that it is probably a mixture of both. This demonstrates a desire for a both/and rather than either/or conclusion – one that Aristotle, with his very unindividuated notion of the ‘gray area’, rejects in his discussion of friendship.
Evidence Of Learning 1/29
Mentor: Dr. Ruderman
Profession/Title: Professor of Political Philosophy Business/Company name: University of North Texas Date of Meeting: January 17th, 2021
Dr. Richard Ruderman (Ph.D. from the University of Chicago) specializes in Political Philosophy and Theory with a specialization in literature. In addition to teaching classes on those subjects at UNT’s School of Liberal Arts, his research investigates the intersectionality of international politics, economics, and law.
Since the start of the mentorship, Dr. Ruderman and I have spent time figuring out what literature would be most helpful for me to start out reading. Much of critical theory and works influenced by Marxism and other philosophers is obscure and difficult, making it very difficult to get through. It’s also very easy to run out of morale as these theorists often point out problems of society, the solutions to which are nowhere near in our timeline. The aim of philosophical writers may be more to add to the canon of thought rather than to influence the masses. Philosophy can be confusing and complicated - even the well-read works of Kant, Kierkegaard, or St. Augustine can take a lot of teeth-gritting to truly comprehend.
Due to this, we decided to start out at the beginning with The Classics. We decided to begin reading a Socratic Dialogue called Lysis: The Meaning of Friendship translated by Bolotin. Lysis, is a dialogue of Plato which discusses the nature of philia, translated to friendship. During this meeting, we read the first subsection of the text.
A number of causes of friendship and definitions of "the friend" are considered and rejected in the dialogue. We took notice of the underlying context of selfishness and self interest in regards to friendship. I was able to notice that Socrates portrays love more honestly, as a transaction of sorts, rather than the romanticized “pure” love we manufacture in our own minds and lives. We can see Plato playing with some important notions, particularly in the areas of identity (likeness), harmony (with oneself and with others), and good and evil.
There isn't a great deal of historical context necessary to the understanding of the Lysis, except a general grasp of how relationships between men and boys often functioned in Athenian life at the time (see Lover, in the Terms list). Nonetheless, it is sometimes helpful to recall that the Athens in which Plato
wrote the Socratic dialogues was not a static, ideal state; Plato was writing about philosophical ideals, but his specific concerns and examples are often shaped by an awareness of the national and international power struggles that helped shape Athenian society. The Greek code of virtue and honor, based strongly in poetry and religion, was generally seen as self- evident; it had certainly never been subjected to the kind of relentless analysis that Socrates developed. Both Socrates and Plato criticized and re- invented Athenian systems of value, and both ran into real-world trouble with the judicial and governmental structures in which those values were embodied. The Lysis is an intriguing instance of Plato working carefully, through Socrates, at one of the very centers of Athenian social life.
Original Work Progress 1/20
A large part of intellectual and political progression in a country is the intellectual and political progression of its people and the shift left after the results of the 2016 election proves this but, due to propaganda deep rooted in western society that’s been present since the red scare along with the lack of accessibility in theory, it’s difficult to do this on a larger scale. The working class is who benefits from theory and class consciousness the most, however since this dogma is so elitist and out of reach of the people who need it the most, progress is stagnated.
The issue with political thought and politics is that they have a big disconnect. Marx said “Theory without practice is empty and practice without theory is blind.”. By these means, making liberating ideas accessible to those it will liberate is the first step towards unifying against systemic oppressors and the dead weight of inequality under our current socio-economic system.
My original work idea is as follows: a website or publication of ideas present in left theory made more accessible to those who may not be well-versed in philosophical analysis. I've spoken to my prospective mentor about it and he thinks it’s a great idea and is working on a list of reading that he thinks I should get through to complete this original work successfully. My aim is not to dilute the ideas of these theorists but to rather simplify it to make it more accessible to the proletariat which would be trailblazing for these progressive ideas to gain traction in wider circles.
This past week, I spent a lot of time narrowing down the scope of the theory I would begin to read and analyze in the next few months. Dr. Ruderman and I both brought some suggestions and we finalized a reading list. In the foreseeable future, I’ll be reading Plato, Locke, and Nietzsche, in that order. I also compiled a list of books I would read on my own time that I would discuss with Dr. Ruderman if the time permits.
Besides simply reading theory, I realized I needed some practical applications. I plan out reaching out to community organizers over the next few weeks to interview them for the publication or website I intend to create. Speaking of which, that is my next step: finalizing whether I’m working on a publication such as an intellectual piece or whether I choose to go the website route. As of right now, my next few steps are planned out thoroughly, however I do need to start plotting my long term goals and plans. I hope to work with Dr. Ruderman and my ISM instructor to figure out just that in the following week.
Research 1/8
Date: January 9, 2021
Subject: Political Theory
MLA citation:
R. (2013, February 28). Want to be a Political Theorist? Retrieved September 18, 2020, from https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/02/28/want-to-work-in-the-white-house/
Analysis:
A large part of intellectual and political progression in a country is the intellectual and political progression of its people and the shift left after the results of the 2016 election proves this but, due to propaganda deep rooted in western society that’s been present since yknow like the red scare along with the lack of accessibility in theory, it’s difficult to do this on a larger scale. The working class is who benefits from theory and class consciousness the most, however since this dogma is so elitist and out of reach of the people who need it the most, progress is stagnated.
The issue with political thought and politics is that they have a big disconnect. Marx said “Theory without practice is empty and practice without theory is blind.”. By these means, making liberating ideas accessible to those it will liberate is the first step towards unifying against systemic oppressors and the dead weight of inequality under our current socio-economic system.
After knowing all this information, we can move onto what we can do as potential employees to ensure our spot. Networking and building relationships with those senior advisors would get you a long way. This means you should, ideally, get to know people in all three parts of the Agency-PPO-WHLO triangle. Besides making friends, another way to make yourself known is to have a name. This means publishing papers, writing pieces, working on campaigns etc.. If you have rock-solid qualifications for a particular job or jobs, and can bring your qualifications to the attention of agency, WHLO, and PPO staff, you should stand a pretty decent chance of getting a position sooner or later.
Brooks ends the article by giving us some much needed reassurance. “All that said, I consider the three-and-a-half years I spent in government (first at State during the Clinton administration, then at DOD from 2009 to 2011) among the most rewarding years of my professional career. The pay was poor, the hours were long, and the frustrations were numerous — but I worked with (mostly) great people, learned an immense amount, and was able to take on meaningful, interesting challenges. When I left, I felt like I’d helped make the world a tiny bit better.” And that outcome is precisely what continues to push me towards this job and to make a difference.
Research 1/8
Date: January 9, 2021
Subject: Political Theory
MLA citation:
R. (2013, February 28). Want to be a Political Theorist? Retrieved September 18, 2020, from https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/02/28/want-to-work-in-the-white-house/
Analysis:
A large part of intellectual and political progression in a country is the intellectual and political progression of its people and the shift left after the results of the 2016 election proves this but, due to propaganda deep rooted in western society that’s been present since yknow like the red scare along with the lack of accessibility in theory, it’s difficult to do this on a larger scale. The working class is who benefits from theory and class consciousness the most, however since this dogma is so elitist and out of reach of the people who need it the most, progress is stagnated.
The issue with political thought and politics is that they have a big disconnect. Marx said “Theory without practice is empty and practice without theory is blind.”. By these means, making liberating ideas accessible to those it will liberate is the first step towards unifying against systemic oppressors and the dead weight of inequality under our current socio-economic system.
After knowing all this information, we can move onto what we can do as potential employees to ensure our spot. Networking and building relationships with those senior advisors would get you a long way. This means you should, ideally, get to know people in all three parts of the Agency-PPO-WHLO triangle. Besides making friends, another way to make yourself known is to have a name. This means publishing papers, writing pieces, working on campaigns etc.. If you have rock-solid qualifications for a particular job or jobs, and can bring your qualifications to the attention of agency, WHLO, and PPO staff, you should stand a pretty decent chance of getting a position sooner or later.
Brooks ends the article by giving us some much needed reassurance. “All that said, I consider the three-and-a-half years I spent in government (first at State during the Clinton administration, then at DOD from 2009 to 2011) among the most rewarding years of my professional career. The pay was poor, the hours were long, and the frustrations were numerous — but I worked with (mostly) great people, learned an immense amount, and was able to take on meaningful, interesting challenges. When I left, I felt like I’d helped make the world a tiny bit better.” And that outcome is precisely what continues to push me towards this job and to make a difference.