Paul Kelly (professor)
Encyclopedia
Paul Kelly is Professor of Political Philosophy
at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and Head of the Department of Government.
scholars, having worked on the manuscripts at the Bentham Project at University College London
. Kelly rejected the common claim that Bentham was a crude act-utilitarian. Instead, he argued that Bentham developed a complex two-level utilitarian theory similar to those of contemporary indirect utilitarian theorists such as R.M. Hare or John Gray. His further claim that this makes Bentham a central figure in the canon of liberal political philosophers contradicts most standard interpretations, and is still a widely contested interpretation.
Having based his early work on both archival work and philosophical reconstruction, Kelly has gone on to engage in debates about the methodology and importance of history in the study of political thought. His work on the book Political Thinkers, edited with David Boucher, has defended a non-contextualist approach to past political thinkers in contrast to the linguistic contextualism defended by Quentin Skinner
amongst others.
His scepticism about reducing political theory to history has also led to a similar scepticism about the claims made for identity in normative political theory. His criticism of multicultural theories and communitarianism, has led to a defence of liberal egalitarianism
that draws on the work of British political theorists such as Brian Barry
(1936–2009) and H.L.A.Hart
(1907–1992), as much as that of John Rawls
. Kelly’s work on liberal egalitarianism has concentrated on its claims as a political theory and his most recent work is on the defence of liberal moralism against the arguments of ‘realist’ political theorists such as Bernard Williams
.
Political philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and Head of the Department of Government.
Research
Kelly’s early work and main contribution as a historian of political theory was as part of a group of revisionist BenthamJeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
scholars, having worked on the manuscripts at the Bentham Project at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. Kelly rejected the common claim that Bentham was a crude act-utilitarian. Instead, he argued that Bentham developed a complex two-level utilitarian theory similar to those of contemporary indirect utilitarian theorists such as R.M. Hare or John Gray. His further claim that this makes Bentham a central figure in the canon of liberal political philosophers contradicts most standard interpretations, and is still a widely contested interpretation.
Having based his early work on both archival work and philosophical reconstruction, Kelly has gone on to engage in debates about the methodology and importance of history in the study of political thought. His work on the book Political Thinkers, edited with David Boucher, has defended a non-contextualist approach to past political thinkers in contrast to the linguistic contextualism defended by Quentin Skinner
Quentin Skinner
Quentin Robert Duthie Skinner is the Barber Beaumont Professor of the Humanities at Queen Mary, University of London.-Biography:...
amongst others.
His scepticism about reducing political theory to history has also led to a similar scepticism about the claims made for identity in normative political theory. His criticism of multicultural theories and communitarianism, has led to a defence of liberal egalitarianism
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
that draws on the work of British political theorists such as Brian Barry
Brian Barry
Brian Barry FBA was a moral and political philosopher. He was educated at the Queen's College, Oxford, obtaining the degrees of B.A. and D.Phil under the direction of H. L. A. Hart....
(1936–2009) and H.L.A.Hart
H. L. A. Hart
Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart was an influential legal philosopher of the 20th century. He was Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University and the Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford. He authored The Concept of Law....
(1907–1992), as much as that of John Rawls
John Rawls
John Bordley Rawls was an American philosopher and a leading figure in moral and political philosophy. He held the James Bryant Conant University Professorship at Harvard University....
. Kelly’s work on liberal egalitarianism has concentrated on its claims as a political theory and his most recent work is on the defence of liberal moralism against the arguments of ‘realist’ political theorists such as Bernard Williams
Bernard Williams
Sir Bernard Arthur Owen Williams was an English moral philosopher, described by The Times as the most brilliant and most important British moral philosopher of his time. His publications include Problems of the Self , Moral Luck , Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy , and Truth and Truthfulness...
.
Recent publications
- Political thinkers: from Socrates to the present , Oxford University Press, 2009, Oxford, UK. (ISBN 9780199215522)
- Liberalism, secularism and the challenge of religion - is there a crisis? , Oneworld, London, 2008, UK, pp. 124–131. (ISBN 9781851685509)
- Locke’s second treatise of government: a reader’s guide. , Continuum, London, 2007 UK. (ISBN 9780826492654)
- Equality, marginalisation and freedom of expression. , In: Newey, Glen, (ed.) Freedom of speech. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, 2007, UK, pp. 74–96. (ISBN 9781847183606)
- http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/5186/Liberalism and epistemic diversity: Mill's sceptical legacy. Episteme, 3 (3). pp. 248–265 2006. (ISSN 1742-3600)
- http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/15591/The social theory of anti-liberalism. Critical review of international social and political philosophy, 9 (2). pp. 137–154, 2006. (ISSN 1369-8230)
- http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199215522.doPolitical theory: the state of the art. Politics, 26 (1). pp. 47–53, 2006. ISSN 0263-3957