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The approaches of Jurgen Habermas & Jean-Francois Lyotard are compared with respect to issues in ethics & the philosophy of law. Though both consider language to be both the pivot of & the means to sociopolitical action & events, they differ in their diagnoses about the pathology of politics & society. Their opinions about language, law, morality, & the role of philosophy, politics, & science are compared, & sketched against the background of their general philosophy. While Habermas is a strong defender of the Enlightenment project & maintains that it is possible to apply philosophical ideas in the interest of democratization & the nonviolent settlement of conflicts, Lyotard's postmodern philosophy is more skeptical, asserting that no metadiscourse can exist in the social world that would allow real mediation & conflict settlement. The paradoxes in Lyotard's "language-ontology" philosophy, of which he is well aware, are explored. 6 References. Modified HA

It is argued that contemporary Marxism is in a crisis from which it is not likely to recover. Nevertheless, discussion of Marxism in the context of contemporary political philosophy is appropriate for two reasons: (1) Marxists set the agenda for current political & philosophical debate; & (2) Marxism has recently, at least in the West, given rise to a new & lively debate about the value of fundamental Marxian notions such as the idea of historical materialism & exploitation by the so-called (& self-styled) "analytical Marxists." The Marxians have undertaken a critical evaluation of Marxist political philosophy & have departed from orthodox Marxism. The analytical Marxists have tried to rephrase & uphold the framework of Karl Marx's political & materialist philosophy or have taken it upon themselves to construct a new Marxist edifice of political philosophy, even to reconstruct the whole Marxist scheme. This analytical Marxism is discussed in detail, along with endeavors by Western Marxists & dissident Marxists in & from Eastern Europe to come to terms with actually existing socialist societies & their basic political tenets. 63 References. Modified HA

Text edition of an as yet unpublished work of the famous philosopher (in Dutch). - Utrecht is niet alleen de eerste plaats geweest waar de denkbeelden van Descartes onderwezen werden, maar ook de stad waar de cartesiaanse filosofie het eerste verboden werd. De drijvende kracht achter dat verbod was de predikant en hoogleraar in de theologie Gijsbert Voetius. In 1648 zond Descartes een verzoekschrift aan de Utrechtse vroedschap om hem eerherstel te verlenen. De tekst van deze uitgave berust op een transcriptie van de Nederlandse versie van dit verzoekschrift, die nog nooit eerder gepubliceerd werd. De Verantwoordingh is een echte Descartes-tekst die op een unieke wijze inzicht biedt in de werkwijze van de auteur.