“IMAGINING OTHER…”

Ian Pirie’s website.

A collection of notes on philosophy and politics, written from a socialist, environmentalist and antimilitarist perspective.

I believe that we need to create another - and better – world, one characterised by equality, sympathy (compassion), and non-violence.

See further at: what I believe...

But we can only begin to do this if we use our imagination:

- first, to feel with others who are suffering under the present system,

- and second, to think how things could be other than how they are now.

These notes are based on lecturing done over nearly 40 years (1966 – 2005) at UEL, as well as more recent teaching (since 2008) for the WEA, but it is hoped they will interest anyone wanting to find out more about the world around them.

I also write on current issues, occasionally, at: is this a blog?

And I use Facebook to post articles about politics and the environment: https://www.facebook.com/ian.pirie.50

The notes fall into the following groups:

(1) What is meant by ‘imagining other’... #why? (for full list).

(2) Teaching notes for courses offered by the WEA (Workers’ Educational Association):

(a) Political Philosophy... #political philosophy (contents page)

Part 1 (from the classical Greeks to the French revolution) #part 1

Part 2 (from the 1789 French Revolution to the present) #part 2

How Enlightened was the (18^th Century European) Enlightenment? #enlightenment.

(b) Social Movements in the 20^th century – ‘People Power’ #power.

(c) The Natural Environment - ‘Protecting the Planet’ #protecting

(3) Teaching notes on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ – my teaching from the mid ‘70s to 2002 at University of East London (UEL): #csr.

These notes also include some recent files that go beyond CSR: inequality part 1 and updates on inequality (e.g. this file has some notes on current economics)

(4) Libertarian Socialism – especially the ideas of Cornelius Castoriadis... #libertarian socialism.

(5) Autobiographical and personal... #personal.

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Full list of documents:

(1) What is meant by ‘Imagining Other’?

Part 1: What is Imagining Other?

Part 2: New Ways of Seeing.

Alternatives. (Includes links to other notes - ‘building the new society in the shell of the old...’)

Notes on William Blake

(2) Teaching Notes for WEA Courses

(a) Political Philosophy

Political Philosophy Contents Page (has topics numbered, and in alphabetical order).

(i) Political Philosophy Part 1:

Introduction to Part I Summary for Introduction

Plato Extracts from The Republic }

Aristotle Extracts from Aristotle's Politics } Summary for Plato and Aristotle

Augustine and Aquinas Extracts - St Augustine: City of God Summary for Augustine and Aquinas

Thomas More, Humanism, Utopias Extracts - Thomas More }

Luther Calvin and the Reformation Extracts - Luther and Calvin } Summary for Luther, Calvin, Thomas More

Machiavelli Extracts - Machiavelli Summary for Machiavelli

Hobbes Extracts - Hobbes }

John Locke Extracts - Locke } Summary for Hobbes and Locke

Rousseau Extracts - Rousseau Summary for Rousseau

Edmund Burke, Tom Paine, and the French Revolution Summary for Burke and Paine

(ii) Political Philosophy Part 2 (the ‘isms of politics):

Introduction to Part 2 Summary of Thinkers for Part 2

Liberalism: Adam Smith Liberalism: John Rawls Liberalism today (NEW!!)

Utilitarianism

Socialism before and besides Marx

Marx: an overview Marx extracts Marx: the evolution of his thought Marxism: Religion, Modernity

Socialism Since Marx - 1 revisionism/social democracy

Anarchism - Peter Kropotkin and Mutual Aid

Conservatism: Introduction, Burke, Hegel Oakeshott and Nozick Thatcherism Hayek, liberal conservatism, new right economics

Existentialism

Feminism (Introduction) Simone de Beauvoir Feminism (Extracts and Quotes) Feminism and Inequality Feminism Today

Environmentalism (notes for political philosophy) Notes on Climate Change, 'Sceptics' etc.

See also: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Environment

and: Social Movements: the Environmental and Green Movements

and especially: ‘Protecting the Planet’ (below) protecting the planet: introduction

Postmodernism

(iii) How Enlightened was the Enlightenment? (WEA Course: Leigh-on-Sea, January 2011, Rayleigh October 2011, Loughton October 2012)

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Introduction continued: Enlightenment values

Week 3: Science

Week 4 Economic Underpinnings (war, trade, agricultural and industrial revolutions)

Week 5: Religion

Week 6: Human Nature in Adam Smith, Rousseau and Kant

Extra notes on Adam Smith

Extra notes on Rousseau

Extra notes on Kant

Extracts from Adam Smith

Week 7: The Arts (extended to first part of week 8 also)

Poems and quotations

Week 8: Political Ideas (part (i) - Kant, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau)

Week 9: Political Ideas (ii) - The American and French Revolutions, Burke and Paine

Week 10: Problematics: slavery, race, women

(b) Social movements in the twentieth century

Power and Protest:

NB: Some originally planned chapters are not yet written up.

The WEA course covers: Labour Movement; Peace Movement; Youth and Counter-culture; Environment; Feminism/Women. (2 weeks each topic).

Social Movements: Introduction and Contents

Social Movements: Theory

Social Movements in the 20th Century

Chapter 1: The Labour Movement:

Section 1: history up to 1926

Section 2: twentieth century

Section 3: Issues

Chapter 2: The Russian Revolution:

Russian Revolution

Chapter 3: Anti-colonialism – to be completed

Chapter 4: The Peace Movement.

Section 1: the anti-war movement

Section 2: the anti-nuclear movement

Section 3: Nonviolence

Section 4: Peace and War Today Section 6: updates

Conclusion and References on Peace and War (Section 5)

Chapter 5: Civil Rights – to be completed.

Chapter 6: (‘People Power’ WEA Course Weeks 6 & 7):

The Women's Movement

- see also: Feminism (political philosophy) and Feminism: Simone de Beauvoir

Chapter 7: Youth, Students and the Counter Culture

- see also the two book reviews below, under (4) libertarian socialism etc (*)

Chapter 8: The Environmental Movement. Now a new course: Protecting the Planet (see above).

Section 1: The Environmental (Green) Movement. See also Protecting the Planet Part 10: the movement

See also my first notes on this topic: Corporate Social Responsibility 6 the environment.

Section 2: Climate Change. See also Protecting the Planet 6: Causes of climate change

Section 3: to be revised

Section 4: environmental issues in Australia

Section 5: How an Australian environmentalist survived a crocodile attack and changed her view on humans and nature: Val Plumwood and the crocodile

See also Environmentalism for political philosophy course (above)

And especially ‘Protecting the Planet’ (below) protecting the planet: introduction

For updates on other environmental issues: Protecting the Planet updates (2018)

Chapter 9: Anti-globalisation movement – to be completed.

Chapter 10: Social Movements Today.

(c) Protecting the Planet

Protecting the planet Week 1: Introduction

Protecting the Planet Weeks 2 & 3: some key industries

Protecting the Planet Week 4: strategies for action

Protecting the Planet Week 5: some solutions to environmental problems

Protecting the Planet Week 6: global warming: causes and controversy

Protecting the Planet Week 7: global warming: effects

Protecting the Planet Week 8: species decline

Protecting the Planet Week 9: energy policies

Protecting the Planet Week 10: the environment movement

(3) Teaching Notes on Corporate Social Responsibility in Context:

- notes based on courses which I taught at UEL from the mid 1970s.

It is quite astounding to see how much emphasis is now (21^st century) placed on corporate social responsibility in the world of business – it is no longer just a subject taught at a few progressive institutions such as UEL (in the 1970s UEL was progressive – now I am not so sure!) but it is a matter of lively debate involving many managers and practitioners.

The reader is entitled to be cynical about all this enthusiasm for ‘corporate social responsibility’ on the part of business – as am I, to some extent: real change will only come about when the public is no longer prepared to put up with the self-centredness of business.

However, cynicism alone is destructive and reactionary – progress needs both a willingness to act (on whatever front seems to bring results), and surely also a qualified optimism?

CSR in Context: Contents Page

Chapter 1: Definitions etc

Chapter 2: History (early)

Chapter 3: History (recent)

Chapter 4: The workers

Chapter 5: The Consumer

Chapter 6: The Natural Environment

Chapter 7: The "Third World"

Chapter 8: Inequality Updates on Inequality [New! – recent events (credit crunch, debt crisis, recession and especially the Occupy

demonstrators) have brought into the public domain the issue that has been central for socialists for some 200 years at

least: inequality of income, wealth and power.]

Chapter 9: Summary of 'Remedies' and Conclusion.

Updates for CSR

Essay: The Social Politics of Business Ethics

Books etc on Corporate Social Responsibility

(4) Articles on libertarian socialism, Cornelius Castoriadis:

NEW: Comments on Paul Mason and 'postcapitalism'.

Recommencing Revolution

Teaching Castoriadis at UEL (‘Capitalism, Bureaucracy, Democracy’)

(*) Review of: When Poetry Ruled the Streets (on May '68 in France)

Reprint of the Solidarity Account of the May Days, France 1968

(*) Review of: The Resources of Critique, by A. Callinicos.

There is now a good wikipedia entry on Castoriadis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Castoriadis.

(5) Autobiographical and personal:

Biographical background to the author of these pages

UEL Course Outlines - summary of courses taught by the author at the University of East London (UEL), 1966 – 2005.

Poetry I Like (NEW!) - some of my favourite poems.

'Reflecting on Nature' - programme notes for a song recital. (NEW!)

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Comments on these pages are welcome, to ian_michael_pirie@btinternet.com

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