Particularism
As Particularism (of particles, diminutive form of Latin pars is, part ') in the political science , in particular in the political philosophy , and the history of science , a state or a concept of political systems (companies States systems, groups) referred to in the smaller units be able to assert their interests and rights with priority over the whole, or at least claim them. In federalism , the tendency for the elements of the periphery of a system to gain weight in relation to the center or common institutions is referred to as particularism. Universalism is opposed to particularism and centralism to federalism .
As a less clearly fixed term, particular interest describes the goals and perceptions of social groups within a larger whole, which only or primarily articulate their own point of view politically without considering cross-group aspects (→ Volonté générale ). Such a use of the term usually contrasts particular interests sharply with the concept of the common good and often has negative connotations . However, the formulation of individual interests as individual interests is not per se incompatible with the common good. For representative democracy in particular, the balance between contradicting particular interests is a basic characteristic of politically responsible action.
Systematic political science
Domestic particularism
Particular interests are the individual interests of groups in a population or a state . A distinction is made between three sizes within the community (state):
- The community as a whole or the state.
- The particular interests of certain interest groups or state subsystems (states, municipalities).
- Individual interests.
In political science , particularism is a phenomenon in which the interests of pressure groups and subordinate state units rather than the interests of individuals gain in importance in relation to the state as a whole, so that the steering and control of the whole is made more difficult . The complete disintegration (dissolution) of the overall structure or state is called radical individualism there . The federalism of the FRG is not yet seen in political science as particularism, although there are warnings about tendencies towards it. The opposite of particularism as a political phenomenon is centralism .
International particularism
The currently best known particularistic theory on a global scale is of Samuel P. Huntington's Clash of Civilizations (dt. Clash of Civilizations promoted). There the world is divided into civilizations or religiously-ethnically defined cultures, each of which represents its own, in most cases also opposing interests.
History
Particularism in history is closely related to the politicalological term. Here particularism is seen as the fragmentation or disintegration of a central power through the strengthening of local or regional powers . This leads to the fact that many small individual powers and individual opinions emerge that seek independence from a central authority. The best-known example of particularism in history is Germany in the 19th century . While nation states emerged in Europe , German territory remained for a long time fragmented into many small principalities and kingdoms . The year 1122, with the conclusion of the Worms Concordat , is also mentioned as the beginning of particularism . After Frederick II passed the so-called Princely Law in 1231 and thus the princes in Germany had more rights, one speaks of complete particularism or a division of Germany into small domains. This was the origin of federalism in Germany. The individual interests of those rulers in these areas who did not want to lose their power prevented unification of the empire for a long time. Particularism therefore also describes the striving of individual parts of the country to assert their interests at the expense of a larger political unit, as, for example, Prussia did in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Feudal particularism in Europe
Social phenomenon
As a social phenomenon, particularism is treated primarily in the context of the terms pluralism and universalism (according to Max Weber and Talcott Parsons ).
Political philosophy
In political philosophy , particularism is used primarily as a counter-term to universalism in an often derogatory way. The dispute between particularists and universalists is about the question of whether there are values that apply to all people and can be justified, or whether values are group-dependent attitudes that differ according to cultural, ethnic or religious affiliation. The opposing positions were particularly expressed in the context of the concept of justice .
The argument can easily be compared with the two Aristotelian views of justice: while the communitarians are of the opinion that something is only just if you see it in terms of what people consider good (proportional justice), universalists believe that something is just abstract and independent of these ideas of the good exist. For example, human rights apply universally, regardless of the person and thus their origin, religion and cultural affiliation. Particularists would fundamentally object here that such human rights are too abstract a construct that must first be applied to the respective cultural world.
Particularist positions are mainly represented by communitarianism ( Michael Walzer , Alasdair MacIntyre , Amitai Etzioni ), while universalism is represented by liberal , socialist and so-called value-conservative philosophers.
See also
literature
- Benedikt F. Assenbrunner: European democracy and national particularism. Theoretical development framework, Union law approaches and perspectives of European democracy after the Reform Treaty of Lisbon. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2012, ISBN 978-3-8329-7034-5 (also dissertation, University of Leipzig 2011)