The political theory of political thinking: the anatomy of a practice

This text explores systematically what it means to think 'politically'. Using detailed contemporary and historical material, and investigating both professional and 'amateur' forms of political thinking, this study challenges much accepted wisdom on the topic, arguing that it is to be approached as a cluster of interacting features

This text explores systematically what it means to think 'politically'. Using detailed contemporary and historical material, and investigating both professional and 'amateur' forms of political thinking, this study challenges much accepted wisdom on the topic, arguing that it is to be approached as a cluster of interacting features.

1: Theorizing about Political Thinking -- 2: Language, Emotion and Political Thought -- 3: The Arrogance of Politics -- 4: Ranking and the Distribution of Significance -- 5: The Scramble for Acceptance: Mobilizing and Withholding Support -- 6: Stability, Order and Disruption: Discourses of Balance and Contention -- 7: Visions and Prescriptions: Temptations and Failures of Political Thinking -- 8: Power Patterns and Power Surges: Organizing and Intensifying Speech Acts.

This book is the first to explore systematically what it means to think 'politically'. Using contemporary and historical material, and investigating both professional and 'amateur' forms of political thinking, this study challenges much accepted wisdom on the topic, arguing that it is to be approached as a cluster of interacting features.