Herbert Werlin on Sheldon Wolin: A Misrepresentation of Political Theory

Abstract

IntroductionThis article clarifies the relationship between political theory and its value for administrative science. This is done with reference to Herbert Werlin's article, 'Revisiting Corruption: With a New Definition ' (1994: 547-58). The basis of Werlin's position is derived from his perception of political theory in Sheldon S. Wolin's articulation of the western tradition. I argue that 'good' political theory cannot be singularly representative in any scholar or school of thought as Werlin suggests. Political theory is about the thoughtful explanation of human needs, wants and desires; Aristotelian political theory has sought and continues to seek thoughtful explanations of human structures, and the values and ethics that inhabit and support those structures. Administrative scientists, as professionally trained scholars seeking (social) scientific approaches to modern administrative systems, are innately involved in the political theories that support the domain of administrative science. In his 1994 article, Werlin summarizes several earlier positions on corruption, and endeavors to show the difficulty faced by the Academy in achieving a unified, commonly shared definition of 'corruption' identified by such authors as Gould and Amaro-Reyes (1983: 2) and Atkinson and Mancuso (1985: 463). Ironically, Werlin himself adds to the confusion of definitional commonality by the nature of the tasks he sets out for himself(1) to be realistic as well as moralistic about corruption; (2) to understand why corruption has a more devastating effect on less developed countries (LDCs) than more developed countries (MDCs); and (3) to explain why corruption even when it is 'standard operating procedure' must be considered an extremely serious cause for concern.Such a definition could have been avoided had Werlin carefully interpreted political theory in terms of method and value, over political time and space.

Urban Political Theory and the Symmetrical Model of Community Power in Singapore

“…The former refers to the various classical, medieval, modern, and contemporary theories that explain the meaning of life (Rappa, 2000). Political theory has overtaken political philosophy's dominance in the fin-de-siecle or end of history arguments that were raised with the work of the nineteenth-century social theorists and the philosophical work of other writers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, Heidigger, Arendt, and Kariel.…”

Urban Political Theory and the Symmetrical Model of Community Power in Singapore

“…The former refers to the various classical, medieval, modern, and contemporary theories that explain the meaning of life (Rappa, 2000). Political theory has overtaken political philosophy's dominance in the n-de-siècle or end of history arguments that were raised with the work of the nineteenth-century social theorists and the philosophical work of other writers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, Heidigger, Arendt, and Kariel.…”