The Politics of Everyday Life The central focus of Ferguson's work has been to democratize political philosophy by locating it in the practices of people. He identifies the political components of such diverse everyday aspects of life as
judgment,
aesthetics, and the
family. He holds that political philosophy should emerge from the actual practices of people, rather than being a set of abstract systems which they should be forced to follow. In his investigations of the role of aesthetic judgment,
pets,
silence, and
cookbooks in people's lives, he shows how love,
sensibility, and the
ontic overlap with authority, force, and political identity.
Pluralism Ferguson celebrates aspects of the political philosophy of
pluralism, but not as it is commonly understood in political history. He refers to
William James as the founder of political pluralism, but notes the “descent of pluralism” in the 20th Century from a prescriptive aspiration to a descriptive problem.
Political Science In 2017, Ferguson criticized the discipline of
political science in the United States for its "institutionally naturalized" exclusion of Native American scholars, perspectives, texts, and issues. In response, the Native legal theorist
David E. Wilkins responded that he sees "nothing on the horizon to indicate that there will be any substantive alterations in the intellectual pursuits of most political scientists anytime soon." ==Criticism==