Contextualist political theory denies any culture-free standpoint for judgment

Evidence

The universalist-rationalist approach is currently the dominant one in political theory, but it is being challenged by another one that can be called ‘contextualist’ and which is of particular interest for us becawe it is clearly influenced by Wittgenstein. Contextualists like Michael Walzer and Richard Rony deny the availability of a point of view that could be situated outside the practices and the institutions of a given culrure and from where universal, ‘context-independent’ judgements could be made. This is why Walzer argues against the idea that the political theorist should try to adopt a position detached from all forms of particular allegiances in order to judge impanially and objectively. … In his view, the theorist should ‘stay in the cave’ and assume fully his or her stams as a member of a panicular community; and this role consists in inrerpreting for fdlow citizens the world of meanings that they have in common. — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 291

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the contextualist pole, the Wittgenstein-influenced stance that grounds Mouffe’s own pluralist politics.
• XREF: Walzer’s ‘stay in the cave’ and Rorty connect to the reader’s agonistic-pluralism project testing a non-exclusionary ‘we’. — connects to: The universalist-contextualist dispute concerns liberal democracy’s universal validity — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 284; Poststructuralist language theory need not ground political commitments — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist…, 324; Words do not label pre-existing political objects but must be made real through interpretation — Timothy Mitchell, Colonising Egypt, 430 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Universalists and particularists disagree on whether rationality is culture-bound #corroborates (0.82) — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 1026
• Materialism structurally prevents comprehension of other civilizations regardless of intent #expands (0.78)
• Words do not label pre-existing political objects but must be made real through interpretation #expands (0.74) — Timothy Mitchell, Colonising Egypt, 430
• Poststructuralist language theory need not ground political commitments #qualifies (0.72) — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 324
• Over-theorizing power as textuality can empty it of real political meaning #complicates (0.72) — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 258