2008 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Sunday, April 6-10:00 am
Disc.
Dara Strolovitch, University of Minnesota
dzs@umn.edu
29-18 POLITICAL ATTITUDES
Room PDR 17 on the 5th Floor, Sun at 10:00 am
Chair Antoine J. Banks, University of Michigan
abanks@umich.edu
Paper The Diversity Myth
Using cross-national, comparative state, and individual survey data,
we explore the effects of racial-ethnic and religious diversity on the
level and stability of democracy, social tolerance, income inequality,
and cultural conflict.
Joel Lieske, Cleveland State University
j.lieske@csuohio.edu
Meredith Greif, Cleveland State University
m.greif@csuohio.edu
Paper The Not So Minimal Consequences of Rap Music Videos
Rap has been shown to influence a variety of psychological
attitudes, but even as it circulates political messages scholars have
yet to test whether exposure to hip-hop videos actually influences
political attitudes. I do so in this work.
Lester K. Spence, Johns Hopkins University
unbowed@gmail.com
Paper Race, Social Desirability, and the N-Word: Are Racial Attitudes
Fixed
TBA
David Moskowitz,
prof_moskowitz@msn.com
June S. Speakman, Roger Williams University
jspeakman@rwu.edu
Disc. Antoine J. Banks, University of Michigan
abanks@umich.edu
30-12 ANCIENT THEORY AND THE PROJECTS OF
MODERNITY
Room Suite 13-250 on the 13th Floor, Sun at 10:00 am
Chair Dean Hammer, Franklin & Marshall College
dean.hammer@fandm.edu
Paper The Idea of the Good in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences
This essay draws on the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer in
challenging traditional theoretical distinctions between Plato and
Aristotle, toward the end of reconsidering the legacy of Aristotle in
the human sciences.
Edward William Gimbel, University of Minnesota
gimb0006@umn.edu
Paper Ma emet Ti estin aletheia What is truth
In this paper, we will examine the historical transformations that
have occurred in the concept of truth in the West, describing their
implications for the development of modern science.
Thomas Raymond Laehn, Louisiana State University
tlaehn1@lsu.edu
Jennifer Richard, Louisiana State University
jvrichard@gmail.com
Paper Between Plato and Politics: The Phenomenological Resurrection
of Aristotle
Between Plato and Politics, offers an examination of Aristotle's
Nicomachean Ethics and deals, more specifically, with the ways
in which leading twentieth century phenomenologists drew on
Aristotle’s practical philosophy.
Matthew Weidenfeld, Southwestern University
weidenfm@southwestern.edu
Disc. Dean Hammer, Franklin & Marshall College
dean.hammer@fandm.edu
32-16 DEMOCRATIC INJUSTICE: SOCIAL CONTROL,
WELFARE, AND COURTS
Room Salon 4 on the 3rd Floor, Sun at 10:00 am
Chair David Watkins, Seattle University
watkinsd@seattleu.edu
Paper The Betrayal of Liberal Constitutionalism - From Privacy Back
to Welfare
This paper argues that liberal constitutionalism fails miserably
to take account of protecting welfare. It then probes possibilities
of reinstating welfare as a “fundamental interest” for democratic
citizenship within constitutional jargon.
Sung Wook Paik, University of Maryland
swpaik@gvpt.umd.edu
Paper Democratic Theory and "The Counter-Majoritarian Difficulty"
While influential in legal scholarship, Bickel's "Counter-
Majoritarian Difficulty" has a limited and problematic conception
of democracy. We explore the problems of this conception of
democracy through critical readings of Waldron and Riker.
David Watkins, Seattle University
watkinsd@seattleu.edu
Scott Lemieux, Hunter College, CUNY
slemieux@hunter.cuny.edu
Paper The Right to Permanent Residency as a Human Right
Human beings denied the right to develop a full-fledged moral
and legal personality in their native countries, have the right to
permanent residency in any free and democratic liberal state.
Jason Damian Hill, De Paul University
jhill6@depaul.edu
Disc. David Watkins, Seattle University
watkinsd@seattleu.edu
John Charles Evans, California State University, Northridge
john.evans@csun.edu
33-9 LIBERALISM TODAY
Room Suite 11-150 on the 11th Floor, Sun at 10:00 am
Chair Sara Rajan, Wayne State University
srajan@starkreagan.com
Paper Valueless Pluralism, or, Why Gray Isn’t a Nihilist
Far from espousing an apocalyptic nihilism, John Gray’s recent
political philosophy embraces a distinctive theory of value rooted in
a positive naturalism and based on the twin precepts of the fact of
pluralism and the value incommensurability of units.
Jason Koslowe, Georgetown University
jsk35@georgetown.edu
Paper What Should We Want from a Theory of Justice
Amartya Sen argues that we should not be asking and attempting to
answer the question “What is a just society” Sen claims we should
repuditate this transcendental approach in favor of a comparative
one. I am not convinced and argue accordingly.
Evan P. Riley, University of Pittsburgh/Ohio University
rileye1@ohio.edu
Paper The Humean Interpretation of Justice as Fairness
I argue that in crucial respects John Rawls is inspired more by
Hume than by Kant, to the detriment of his theory of justice. I focus
on his account of the basic structure of society and his claim that
stability is a desideratum of justice.
Jon Garthoff, Northwestern University
garthoff@northwestern.edu
Paper The Place of Self-Respect in a Theory of Social Justice
This is a critical analysis of the idea in Rawlsian liberalism that
justice requires equality in the social bases of self-respect. Is it
reasonable to hold the structure of society accountable for the
distribution of self-respect among its members
Gerald David Doppelt, University of California, San Diego
jdoppelt@ucsd.edu
Disc. Sara Rajan, Wayne State University
srajan@starkreagan.com
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