The quietus of political interest

Journal article


Griffiths, Paul John. (2009). The quietus of political interest. Common Knowledge. 15(1), pp. 7 - 22. https://doi.org/10.1215/0961754X-2008-039
AuthorsGriffiths, Paul John
Abstract

Quietists aim to bring something to rest, to move it from activity to quiescence. This essay depicts and advocates a quietism of political interest, which is to say a divorce of political action from interest in the outcome of such action. Its principal interlocutor is Pascal, whose 1657 letter to Périer argues, on theological and epistemological grounds, for exactly such a separation. The essay argues that a quietism of political interest has several advantages over ordinary consequentialist political advocacy and action, the most important among which is that the former can acknowledge that in a complex political system we are ordinarily unable to predict the results of enacting what we advocate, while the latter must occlude that fact. Quietists of political interest must replace concern with outcome by something else as a motive or cause for political advocacy and action; and while there are many possibilities here, in the West the only lively form of such quietism has been Christian-theological, in which political advocacy and action are, ideal-typically and sometimes actually, undertaken under the threefold assumption that: (1) advocacy of a political proposal assumes that justice in the political sphere is not attainable but must nonetheless be sought; (2) advocacy of a political proposal assumes that while Christian advocates can act unjustly, they cannot suffer injustice; and (3) advocacy of a political proposal proceeds always without concern for the outcome.

Year2009
JournalCommon Knowledge
Journal citation15 (1), pp. 7 - 22
PublisherDuke University Press
ISSN0961-754X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1215/0961754X-2008-039
Page range7 - 22
Research GroupSchool of Theology
Place of publicationUnited States of America
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/851zw/the-quietus-of-political-interest

  • 57
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 2
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

Secularity and the saeculum
Griffiths, Paul John. (2012). Secularity and the saeculum. In In J. Wetzel (Ed.). Augustine's City of God: A Critical Guide pp. 33 - 54 Cambridge University Press.
Song of songs
Griffiths, Paul John. (2011). Song of songs Brazos Press.
Which are the words of scripture?
Griffiths, Paul John. (2011). Which are the words of scripture? Theological Studies. 72(4), pp. 703 - 722. https://doi.org/10.1177/004056391107200401
Tears and weeping: An Augustinian view
Griffiths, Paul John. (2011). Tears and weeping: An Augustinian view. Faith and Philosophy. 28(1), pp. 19 - 28.
From curiosity to studiousness Catechizing the appetite for learning
Griffiths, Paul John. (2011). From curiosity to studiousness Catechizing the appetite for learning. In In D. I. Smith and J. K. A. Smith (Ed.). Teaching and christian practices Reshaping faith and learning pp. 102 - 122 William Eerdmans Publishing.
The religious alien
Griffiths, Paul John. (2010). The religious alien. In In C. Meister (Ed.). The Oxford handbook of religious diversity pp. 42 - 51 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195340136.003.0009
The cross as the fulcrum of politics: Expropriating Agamben on Paul
Griffiths, Paul John. (2010). The cross as the fulcrum of politics: Expropriating Agamben on Paul. In In D. Harink (Ed.). Paul, philosophy and the theopolitical vision pp. 179 - 197 Cascade Books.
Intellectual appetite: A theological grammar
Griffiths, Paul. (2009). Intellectual appetite: A theological grammar Catholic University of America Press.
Purgatory
Griffiths, Paul. (2008). Purgatory. In In J.L. Walls (Ed.). The Oxford handbook of eschatology pp. 427 - 445 Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195170498.003.0025
Self-annihilation or damnation?
Griffiths, Paul John. (2008). Self-annihilation or damnation? In In P. J. Weithman (Ed.). Liberal Faith: Essays in honor of Philip Quinn pp. 83 - 117 University of Notre Dame Press.
Saying the thing that is not: Newman on the lie
Griffiths, Paul John. (2008). Saying the thing that is not: Newman on the lie. In In T. Merrigan and I. Ker (Ed.). Newman and truth pp. 189 - 226 Peeters Publishers and William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.