Living with the Mess: The Tyranny of Philosophy and Democratic Chaos (thesis)

Abstract

The human experience and democratic politics are characterized by an inevitable and inherent mess that is impossible to completely or finally resolve. Yet we think such a thing is possible and attempt to achieve this through worldviews. Driven by the tyranny in philosophy, where values like consistency, coherence, and logical structure of argumentation reign over our thought, our worldviews go far beyond a mere set of beliefs or ideas that we hold dear. In turn, this only covers up the chaotic mess and diverts our attention from important realities which then go unnoticed and unaddressed. I utilize neoliberalism to serve as a prominent example in the contemporary period to show how pervasive the tyranny of philosophy truly is. Some critiques of neoliberalism also demonstrate the potential harm to contemporary thought and life, should we demand that the world resemble something orderly. If we, as individuals and democratic citizens, are going to address the aforementioned issues and potential for political tyranny, we must learn how better to cope with the mess, aesthetically or creatively, but not metaphysically, by deconstructing and transcending the dominance of orderliness in philosophy and contemporary thought, dethroning consistency and coherence in favor of more flexible values. [From Conclusion]