What can Judith Shklar teach us about how to do political theory?

Judith Shklar was not a systematic political philosopher. This masterclass will show that many of her criticisms of mainstream and more systematic approaches to political philosophy stem from a little known 1967 essay, in which she argued that specialisation in the social sciences and other fields has discredited the ambitions of traditional political theory. In response, Shklar thought that political theory should be more eclectic and closely engaged with other fields. She practised this herself in different ways, such as by engaging deeply with (1) literature and art; (2) social psychology; and (3) history. The masterclass will discuss Shklar’s different approaches to political theory, considering what (if anything) is distinctive about the role of the theorist (or philosopher), and relating her approaches to more recent methodological debates in political philosophy.