Confines of democracy : essays on the philosophy of Richard J. Bernstein /
:
The topics addressed by Richard J. Bernstein in his extensive and illuminating work span the stream of contemporary thought in several directions: ethics, politics, epistemology, philosophy of history, and social theory. In reflecting on them Bernstein has played an intermediary role between the most recognizable product of American philosophical tradition, id est Pragmatism, and such central trends in European 20th century thought as Marxism, Psychoanalysis, Critical Theory, and Hermeneutics. In this volume a host of prominent scholars from the United States, Europe, and Latin America pays tribute to Bernstein's lifelong reflection on such present human problems as: the achievements and the dilemmas of modern societies, the legitimation crisis of democracy, the uses and abuses of public space, the role of scientific knowledge and technology in shaping the modern life, the ethical and political interplay between identity and community, and the preconditions and limits of understanding in multicultural contexts. The fifteen essays in this book, accompanied by separate replies by Bernstein, are organized in four sections: "Bernstein, Rorty and American Pragmatism," "Epistemology and Hermeneutics," "Good, Evil and Judgment," and "Democratic Vistas." As Prof. Bernstein declares in his Preface, these "contributions are expressions of my own commitment to engaged fallibilistic pluralism."
:
1 online resource (xvi, 260 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004301207 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Genomics and democracy : towards a 'lingua democratica' for the public debate on genomics /
:
This book addresses the ethical and political questions flowing from the vastly increased possibilities to manipulate the genetic properties of organisms, including human beings. Due to the great complexity of the scientific fields involved, these questions are framed and answered mostly by scientific experts. But the new technological possibilities and social practices connected with genetic manipulation intrude into domains that for a long time have been the provenance of religious and secular worldviews and touch upon deep-seated convictions and emotions. Moreover they are strongly influenced by economic and political interests. As a consequence, questions of scientific truth and technical control are getting more and more mixed up with questions regarding values and interests. Against this background, this book starts from the premise that neither clinging to the idea of value-neutral, disinterested science, nor the complete abandonment of this idea in favour of postmodern relativism will be of much help here. Instead the different contributions to this book explore the idea of a 'lingua democratica' for the life sciences and sketch the contours of this notion by focusing on a broad range of conceptual and practical issues in the field of genomics.
:
1 online resource (355 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789401209755 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Naturalism and democracy : a commentary on Spinoza's political treatise in the context of his system /
:
Naturalism and Democracy , first published in German in 2014, presents a long-awaited commentary on Spinoza's Political Treatise (Tractatus politicus) . Its contents reflect a recent intensification in the interest in Spinoza's political philosophy in Germany. The volume addresses Spinoza's political philosophy according to its place within his philosophical system as a whole, beginning with his theory of the natural genesis of law and state. Following from this are commentaries on the foundations of political philosophy, the relation of natural and state law, the theory of sovereignty, and theory of international relations. These chapters lay the basis for four essays interpreting Spinoza's attempt to conceive of a systematic optimization of political and legal institutions for all three forms of governance (monarchy, aristocracy, democracy). The volume closes with an analysis of the current relevance of Spinoza's political thinking and his influence on contemporary debates.
:
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004396944
Democracy, emergency, and arbitrary coercion : a liberal Republican view /
:
States of emergency are declared by governments with alarming frequency. When they are declared, it is taken for granted that their nature is understood. This book argues against this established view. Instead, the view advanced here analyzes what makes emergencies different from other types of similar events. Defending a hybrid liberal/republican approach, the book proposes that states of emergency are in fact poorly understood and therefore needlessly mismanaged when they occur. This mismanagement leads to a troubling derogation of established liberal democratic rights in the name of an unattainable form of hollow security. Further, the book argues that the existing rights of citizens ought to be defended (and not simply derogated) during states of emergency. Failure to do so is failure to comply with the formal values of liberal democracy itself.
:
1 online resource (vi, 230 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004282575 :
2211-2014 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Cornelius Castoriadis and radical democracy /
:
Cornelius Castoriadis and the Project of Radical Autonomy analyses the philosophy of Greek-born French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis. A leading member of the influential revolutionary group, Socialism or Barbarism in France, Castoriadis analysed contemporary political subjectivity and culture in terms of the collective and individual attempt to gain autonomy. His philosophy frames a multi-dimensional analysis of modern capitalist societies, based on a systematic critique of orthodox Marxism, Heideggerian ontology and Lacanian psychology. The present volume consists of two parts. In the first part, his most significant essays written before his departure to France in 1945 are translated and present young Castoriadis' interpretation of Max Weber's theory of bureaucratic societies. The second part consists of a series of essays by various scholars on aspects of Castoriadis' mature philosophy in relation to other thinkers, and against the background of Europe's political and social history.
:
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004278585 :
1572-459X ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Plato on democracy and political techne /
:
In Plato on Democracy and Political technē Sørensen argues that the question of democracy's 'epistemic potential' was one that Plato took more seriously than is usually assumed. While he famously rejected democracy on the basis of its inherent inability to accommodate political expertise ( technē ), he did not think that this failure on democracy's part was necessarily inevitable but a concept that required further examination. Sørensen shows that in a number of his most important dialogues ( Republic, Gorgias, Statesman, Protagoras, Theaetetus ), Plato was ready to take up the question of democracy's epistemic potential and to enter into strikingly technical and sophisticated discussions of what both rule by technē and rule by the people would have to look like in order for the two things to be compatible.
:
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004326194 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Brill's Companion to the Reception of Athenian Democracy : From the Late Middle Ages to the Contemporary Era /
:
The first ever guide to the reception of classical Athenian democracy, Brill's Companion to the Reception of Athenian Democracy delivers a fresh and wide-ranging analysis of the uses and reinterpretations of ancient Greek democracy from the late Middle Ages to the XXI century. The book's first section explores this history from the rediscovery of classical antiquity in the Renaissance in different countries (England, France, Germany, Italy, American Republic) and ages, while the second section focuses on philosophical movements such as Marxism and on contemporary philosophers such as Leo Strauss, Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault; the last section examines the reception from the perspective of current political science. The book offers a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to this important topic by bringing together internationally recognised scholars from a variety of disciplines, including ancient and modern historians, historians of political thought, political philosophers, and political scientists.
:
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004443006
9789004276512
Gefährdete Demokratie : Rechtskatholizismus in der Weimarer Republik /
:
Die Bedrohung und Untergrabung von Demokratien werden heute wieder lebhaft diskutiert. Viele aktuelle Entwicklungen erinnern an das Scheitern der Weimarer Republik. Dieser Band fragt nach dem Anteil der damaligen "Rechtskatholiken", unter ihnen Franz von Papen, am Untergang der ersten deutschen Demokratie. Gehörten sie zu den "Totengräbern der Republik"? Die Beiträge nähern sich der Definition des Begriffs "Rechtskatholizismus" und analysieren das ambivalente Verhältnis von "Rechtskatholiken" zur katholischen Amtskirche und die Verbindungen in den Vatikan. Auch regionale Netzwerke rechtskatholischer Akteure in ihren Hochburgen Westfalen und Rheinland sowie wichtige überregionale Bezüge und transnationale Perspektiven werden aufgezeigt. Ausblickend wird diskutiert, wie viel Katholisches in heutigen rechten Strömungen steckt − und wie viel Rechtspopulismus im heutigen Katholizismus.
:
1 online resource (390 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9783657794836