This is a worksheet on the literature review, i.e. the theoretical background of the research thesis. It forms part of the lectures on the theory of constitutional processes, titled Principles of Liberty.

1. Doctoral Candidate: Tabea Hirzel
Program: Doctorate of Diplomacy/ Political Economy
University: SMC University, Zug, Switzerland
Date: 12.30.2011
This is a worksheet on the literature review, i.e. the theoretical
background of the research thesis.
PRINCIPLES OF LIBERTY
WORKSHEETS CHP 2:

2. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Introduction
2. Research Paradigm Assumptions
3. Theoretical Orientation
4. Critique of Previous Research

3. 1. Introduction
•Boettke: «status quo»,
polycentric competition
•Horwitz: non-verbal
communication,
•Prychitko & Storr: meaning
•Machlup: Austrian
praxeology
•Schweitzer: Reverence for
Life Ethics
•Frankl: individual psychology
•Hülsmann: ethics &
economy
•Kinsella: proportionallity
•Van Dun: encirclement,
order of persons
•Block: «understanding»
•Radnitzky: culture, progress,
knowledge
•Bouillon: freedom & power,
(sovereingty) costs
• de Jasay: libertarian social
contract
Mises-Hayek
Rothbard-
Hoppe
Schutz-
Lavoie
Triangulation

4. 2. Research Paradigm and Assumptions
Ontological
•A priori of liberty vs. rights
Epistemological
•Praxeology
Axiological
•A priori of universal principles vs. values
Methodologocial
•Praxeology
Rhetorical
•Dramaturgy

5. 1.
Meaningful
action
2. Communicative
action
3. Liberty
2.1. Ontological Assumptions
liberty
agent
action
Misean Praxeology
Schutzian
Hermeneutic Sociology
Schweitzer’s
Humanist deontology
Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

6. 2.1.1. Mises’ A priori of Meaningful Action
(A) “The Theory of the
Isolated Individual”
(B) “The Theory of
Voluntary Interpersonal
Exchange”
(C) “The Theory of War”
(D) “The Theory of Games”
(E) an “unknown” category
X Jenkins R, Kerr C (2013) Identifiable Images of Bystanders Extracted
from Corneal Reflections. PLoS ONE 8(12): e83325.

7. 2.1.2. A priori of Communicative Action
Hoppe
Epistemology of
person
(structure of
truth)
Transcendental
language game
Schutz
Ontological for
meaning
(structure of life-
world)
Co-constitution
of meaning
Schweitzer
Ontological for
the personal
(structure of
self)
Discursive
constitution of
self
Plotinian apriorism
transcends
SPACE (Habermas)
TIME (Apel)
SUBJETCTIVITY (Plotinus)

8. 1.3. A priori of Liberty
A) Theory of
Personhood
Liberty as a first principle is the universal formal ontological a priori
of social constituency as generative and teleological driver of all
personal identity.
B) Action Theory Liberty is the a priori action which materializes itself as personal
identity in the concrete world.
C) Conflict Theory Liberty is a conflicting performative action which simultaneously
includes abstract totality and concrete identity.
D) Game Theory Liberty is a rule-base play in which personal identities create
meaning in a competitive process.
E) Theory of
Education
Liberty manifests as didactic, discursive plurality.
Plotinian
Republican
http://philosophymaps.wordpress.com/

9. 2.2. Epistemological Assumptions
Consciousness
truth
understanding
meaning
CONSCIOUSNESS
Pedro Laín Entralgo (1908-2001)

10. 2.2.2. Consiousness and truth
Source: Model by Rui Martins –
visual / context / observer
Peircean dialectics:
object (world) – context - observer
epistemological gap
substantive truth incomplete
reasoning = comparison
totality
concrete abstract

11. 2.2.2. Consiousness and understanding
ontological gap
Encounter:
promise – petitition
concrete abstract
conflict
ontological generation

12. 2.2.3. Consiousness and meaning
concrete abstract
conflict
to present at present
to counter to the encounter of two principles
that run counter as an entity that counts
the present, a present
subject being
liberty

13. Epistemological Assumptions: Praxeology & Personal Identity
Apriorism Personal identity is a priori known.
Problem(s) to be solved Personal identity is universally known.
Theory of consciousness Personal identity is the communicative creation of meaning.
Definition of knowing (why want to know?) "Knowing" is the universal action of persons' self-expression, self-
manifestation.
Description of knowing (by which means?) Personal identity is known through encounter.
Scope of knowing (What for?) Personal identity is ethical being.
Limitations to knowing and their relevance Personal identity is a limited knowing.
Limitations to action and their relevance Limitations to actions are unjust.
Historical sources Objective knowledge is derived from past events.

14. 2.3. Axiological assumptions
Viktor Emil Frankl (1905-1997)
1. Guilt
Restriction of liberty
2. Ethics
Restriction of self
3. Responsibility
Call of life

15. 2.3.1. Guilt: consciousness of a noetic tension
PlotinianRepublican
un-justness
judgement
un-free
sanction
performative
contradiction
dis-course
noetic tentsion
personal identity
Restriction of Liberty

16. 2.3.2. Ethics: the promise of a covenant
Restriction of Self
Rutlischwur by Jean RenggliTriquetra
Rule of Law
Social contract
Covenant
Religious
Transcendental
Commonwealth
Covenant
(Promise of liberty)

17. 2.3.3. Responsibility: the duty to be (a) good
Classical: reason as submission to a historical God
Freedom from
instinctive, arbitrary
nature (and fear).
Mose’s burning bush
The Saviour King
Angel Gabriel
revealing Quran
Libertarian: reason meaning through mutual self-giving
Freedom to be
meaningful = good
Breaking bread, and
sharing fish
Tantric community
Traditional network

18. Axiological Assumptions: A priori unversal principles
First principle: Self-ownership Only the principle of liberty is universal.
Second principle: Non-aggression principleNon-aggression principle derived but contradictious with self-ownership
(otherness, uniqueness).
Universal value of life The only universal value is (potential) personal identity (life).
Universal appeal to discursivity Life as universal appeal to self-ownership

19. 2.4. Methodological assumptions
1. Methodological individualism
2. Methodological subjectivism
3. Tastes and Preferences
4. Opportunity Costs
5. Marginalism
6. Time preference. (controversial)
7. (Consumer) sovereignty (agency)
8. Political individualism
A priori of liberty
Melek Taus

20. 2.4.1. Methodological individualsim
Society

21. 2.4.2. Methodological subjectivism
encounter

22. 2.4.3. Tastes and Preferences
PERFORMATIVE
CONTRADICTION
neurosis

23. 2.4.4. Opportunity Costs
I Other-I

24. 2.4.5. Marginalism

25. 2.4.6. Time preference

26. 2.4.7. Sovereignty

27. 2.4.8. Political individualism
making sense of suffering

28. Methodological Assumptions: Praxeology
Philosophy of science Science is objective, value-free knowledge.
Apriorism Science is based on a priori knowledge (axioms).
Praxeology The a priori of social phenomena is action.
Methodological dualism In science, methods for natural and social phenomena are distinct.
(1) Methodological individualism Only persons, entities with personal identity, act.
(2) Methodological subjectivism Only through personal encounter social phenomena can be understood.
(3) Tastes and Preferences Values are subjective variables
(4) Opportunity Costs Responsibility is the evalotory process of oportunity costs between self and
otherness as coconstitutive and conflictive for meaning.
(5) Marginalism Persons chose the action which is more meaningful to them.
(6) Time preference Under uncertainity, actions which "invest" in others expect "redemption".
(7) (Consumer) sovereignty
(agency).
Agency cannot be delegated.
(8) Political individualism Institutions which limit personal responsiblities decrease the potential for
ethical, personal identity.

29. 2.5. Rhetorical Assumptions
1. Story structure of mind (nous)
2. Story telling as performance of self (life)
3. Story form as didactics
4. Society as colaborative story (biography & historiography)

30. 2.5.1. Story structure of mind (nous)

31. 2.5.2. Story telling as performance of self (life)
« l i f e a s t h e a t r e »
( G o f f m a n )

32. 2.5.3. Story form as didactics
external observer
hypertext

33. Rhetorical Assumptions
Dramatica The mind's structure is a story structure
Dramaturgical analysis Story telling is coconstitutive encounter
Logotherapy Ethical being is didactic being, it is committed to support the potential of life (personal
identity), wherever it is found.

34. 3. Theoretical Orientation for the Dissertation
1. The a priori of social constituency (Problem to be solved)
2. Austrian school apriorism (Axiomatic framework)
3. A mental model for liberal anarchism (covenant community)

35. 3.1. The a priori of social constituency
A priori:
1. Liberty as first principle
2. Noetic tension
3. Atonment a priori = set of all sets ;-)
Criteria?

36. 3.2. Austrian school apriorims (axiomatic framework)
Axiom I: Action
Axiom II: Argumentation
1. Principle of original appropriation (Ethics between
being, performing and knowing)
2. Principle of non-aggression (From substantial to
procedural truth)
3. Principle of interpersonal responsibility (From
conflict solution towards interpresonal
responsibility)
transcend species
1) abstract & concrete
2) ethical & political

37. 3.3. Mental model of liberal anarchism
• Structure of mind and society
• Controversies in terminology
• The covenant community

38. 3.3.3. The covenant community
• Politico-economical covenants
• Religious-ideological covenants
• Ethical or liberal covenants
• Towards a definition of a liberal anarchist covenant community

39. 3. Theoretical Orientation for the Dissertation
(contiued)
A libertarian model of social constituency: The Covenant Community
Ethical frame orientation means functions structure
life affirmation
(self)
existential property constitutive narrative
life devotion (other) cohesion encounter didactic informal, emergent,
bottom-up
world affirmation
(concreteness)
concrete, customary pragmatic procedural non material,
commitment
world idealization
(divine)
spiritual,
transcendental
universal, ad hoc
leadership
liberty ritual

40. 4. Critique of Previous Research
1. Austrian cultural sociology Austrian cultural studies
2. Sociology of crime as economic activity
3. Asian challenges to hermeneutics and linguistics in pragmatism
4. Hoppean theories empirically research
5. Discussion on direct democracy in and about Switzerland
1. Pezzuto Aizenk & Fishbein’s Action Theory
2. Timi Ecimovic, Matjaz Mulej and Roger Haw, Esposito 
Kondratenko naturalistic sociology
3. Hermeneutic historiography
6. Dramaturgy of life - Science as meta-narrative