The Nature of Political Theory

324 The Nature of Political Theory

pointless to mull over the nature of theory. The point is to ‘do theory’, not to think
about the nature of theory. In the fallibilistic investigatory conception of theory,
there is continuous circling back to theoretical foundations and an incessant curiosity
about, and openness to, the untidy theoretical disorder of the world.
The latter fallibilistic and investigatory view of theory is one which I would link
directly with the conception of the hermeneutical circle. What is particularly attractive
with this view is that, on one level, it is notdirectlyadvocating a particular way
of being in the world. It is not advocating any first order liberalGleichschaltung.
Conversely, by continuously raising the hermeneutic circle, it reminds us of our
finitude and temporality. This, as argued, contains an indirect ethics, which is not
preached or forced, but is rather actualized in thinking and judging. It is the process
of continually moving back to the awareness of our finitude, which creates a certain
type of character, demeanour, or disposition of critical reflexivity and implicit moral
awareness. Further, this reflexivity is most often engaged in dialogue. Dialogue can
be serious play. As in any serious play, the dialogue can absorb the players within
it—unless of course one member wants to engage in a coercive monologue, then
we swing back to theGleichschaltungmentality of political theory. The latter is the
reality of the sophisticated or unsophisticated dogmatist who wants, in essence, to
preach a sermon about her rationalist prejudices. The only possible outcome of such
a discussion is your agreement with the terms of the sermonizer, or, alternatively,
being swept into heterodox darkness.
The study of the various finite forms of human understanding can be an immensely
fulfilling enterprise, if practised with the reflexive humility of the hermeneutic circle.
Hermeneutics permits one, in fact encourages one, to participate or enter into the
passion of the logic of diverse standpoints. Thus, one can with some sensitivity and
effort begin (in dialogue) to explore the world through diverse ontologies. However,
the trick of the hermeneutic circle, is that this is always done with the continuous
proviso that these ontologies are always considered finite temporal prejudices. The
study of these various forms of understanding is integral to what I would call a
political metaphysics. The hermeneutic circle is viewed as a productive and necessary
component to the practice of political metaphysics.

SUMMARY

One key assumption of the book is therefore that what we have actually been
examining in the various phases of the discussion of political theory has been various
forms of political foundationalism. In fact, this form of study might justifiably be
considered a new dimension of political theory. Yet, ironically, time and again, it
has been one of the standard arguments, throughout the bulk of twentieth-century
political theory, to oppose or resist such foundationalist study—from various the-
oretical standpoints. Ironically, this has been a common theme in utilitarianism,
rational choice, neo-Kantianism, logical positivism, linguistic philosophy, Heideg-
gerians, pragmatists, Habermasians, and postmodernists, throughout the twentieth