This essay explores a possible political philosophy of Alfred Schutz—“possible” because it is derived from Schutz ’s critical understanding of other political thinkers but always based on common assumptions and ideas he shared with them.

The Purely Possible Political Philosophy of Alfred Schutz

Introduction: Alfred Schutz and Contemporary Social Theory and Social Research

A Stroll with Alfred Schutz

Alfred Schutz was born in Vienna in 1899 to Alfred and Johanna Schutz, and when Schutz’s father died before his birth, Johanna married Otto Schutz, his father’s brother. Schutz maintained very close relationships with both his parents throughout his life. He attended the Esterhazy Gymnasium in Vienna, and with the outbreak of World War I, served with the Austrian artillery divisions. Upon returning to a dispirited Vienna, he studied law and the social sciences at the University of Vienna and business at the Viennese Academy of International Trade, graduating with his law degree in 1921. He did postgraduate research in international law, sociology, economics, and philosophy under Hans Kelsen and Ludwig von Mises. In Mises’s seminar, Schutz formed lifetime friendships with Friedrich Hayek, Felix Kaufmann, Fritz Machlup, and Eric Voegelin.

Alfred Schutz: Reciprocity, Alterity, and Participative Citizenry

The aim of this work is to examine the notion of equality in Alfred Schutz’s work, paying special attention to the emergence of the problem of equality in everyday life. In order to formulate a theory of equality, we will base our analysis on Th omas Luckmann’s (1983) phenomenological considerations, emphasizing the constitutive and constructive dimensions of equality. In doing so, our refl ections will move on two levels, the constitutive and the constructive analysis of intersubjectivity.

The Emergence of the Political: the Problem of Equality in Everyday Life

!e goal of this paper is to develop a consistent framework for a phenomenological discourse analysis of political debates. !e political sphere arises through the questioning of taken-for-granted de"nitions of reality: a crisis. During a crisis meaning has to be restored, and different interest groups will try to push their de"nition of reality, which is advantageous for them. For the analysis of such a political discourse phenomenology provides several tools that can help us to understand the background of the discourse, the severity of the crisis, the level of expertise of the participants, the source of the information, discourse strategies and what arguments the audience accepts. !ese tools allow a unique phenomenological approach towards political discourse analysis.

The Purely Possible Political Philosophy of Alfred Schutz

Citations

Introduction: Alfred Schutz and Contemporary Social Theory and Social Research

A Stroll with Alfred Schutz

Alfred Schutz: Reciprocity, Alterity, and Participative Citizenry

The Emergence of the Political: the Problem of Equality in Everyday Life

A Phenomenological Approach Towards the Analysis of Politics

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