Power and reason, justice and domination: a conversation

Abstract

Through an email conversation between Allen, Forst and Haugaard, this article explores the relationship between the dyads power and reason, justice and domination. In much of the literature reason is considered either a mode of emancipation from power (Lukes) or, conversely, a subtle ruse of domination (Foucault). Here it is argued that reasoning is intrinsic to political power, with both the potential for power as justice (Arendt), and for power as domination (Foucault and Lukes). With power and reason as normatively neutral, with both/either normatively desirable and undesirable potentials, this raises the fundamental question of how to distinguish between justice and domination. These issues are explored, taking account of processes of subject formation and systems of thought.

Keywords:

• power
• reason
• justice
• domination
• subjectification

Notes

This conversation was carried out during 2013 by email exchange. Amy Allen would like to thank Kevin Olson for comments on an earlier draft of her contribution to this exchange, and Mark Haugaard and Rainer Forst for being such engaging and spirited interlocutors. Rainer Forst gratefully returns the compliment to Amy Allen and Mark Haugaard and in addition wishes to thank Erin Cooper and Malte Ibsen for their helpful remarks on his contributions. Mark Haugaard thanks both Amy Allen and Rainer Forst for participating in this email conversation.

1. I am grateful to Erin Pineda for directing me to these passages in King’s work, and to her discussion of direct action in Pineda (forthcoming).