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2 Am. Pol. Thought 1 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/ampolth2 and id is 1 raw text is: Reason and Experience in Alexander Hamilton's Science of Politics CLEMENT FATOVIC ABSTRACT Alexander Hamilton is often described as an enterprising modernist who promoted forward-looking reforms that broke with established institutions and ideas. However, the scale and apparent novelty of his reforms have tended to obscure the extent to which those innovations were rooted in a belief that knowledge and practice must be guided by experience. This article argues that even Hamilton's most far-reaching reforms were grounded in a Humean understanding of the limits of rationality in ex- plaining and controlling the world. Hamilton's agreement with David Hume on the epistemic authority of experience helps explain his positions on constitutional design, executive power, democratic politics, public opinion, and other important political is- sues. Moreover, the epistemological underpinnings of Hamilton's political thought are significant because they suggest that a science of politics grounded in experience can avoid some of the dangers associated with more rationalistic approaches yet still be quite open to significant innovation in politics. In an era known for ushering in a new order of the ages, Alexander Hamilton stands out among his contemporaries as a bold and intrepid reformer. He is perhaps best remembered as an enterprising modernist who promoted sweep- ing financial, industrial, and constitutional innovations that helped transform America from a politically dependent and economically backward agrarian society into a political and industrial powerhouse. From demands to abolish the long-standing practice of slavery to calls for investments in new forms of manufacturing, Hamilton's positions seem to reflect a forward-looking Clement Fatovic is associate professor and director of graduate studies in political science in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, SIPA 424, Miami, FL 33199 (fatovic@fiu.edu). I would like to thank Craig Ewasiuk, my fellow participants on a panel on American political thought at the 2010 annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association, and the anonymous reviewers who provided very helpful suggestions on earlier versions of this article. American Political Thought: A Journal of Ideas, Institutions, and Culture, vol. 2 (Spring 2013). 2161-1580/2013/0201-0002$10.00. © 2013 by The Jack Miller Center. All rights reserved.