Suchergebnisse

While this century has witnessed large-scale attempts to actualize political Utopias, the study of such regimes is as old as political philosophy. The most famous of such imaginary republics is More's Utopia. In the form of a dialogue, Utopia presents the best regime of a philosophic character, Raphael Hythlodaeus. In constructing a regime based on the belief that happiness consists in the acquisition of pleasure, Utopia presents one of the first proposals for political hedonism. While the Utopian understanding of happiness restricts their pursuit of pleasure to those austere pleasures which are natural, their hedonism nevertheless causes problems which require strict political control. More important, an analysis of the text reveals that the Utopian understanding of the requirements of human nature is simplistic. Thus, the proper understanding of the dialogue reveals that More's purpose is not to recommend such radical change but to show the dangers of such idealistic proposals.

WHILE THIS CENTURY HAS WITNESSED LARGE-SCALE ATTEMPTS TO ACTUALIZE POLITICAL UTOPIAS, THE STUDY OF SUCH REGIMES IS AS OLD AS POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY. THE MOST FAMOUS OF SUCH IMAGINARY REPUBLICS IS MORE'S UTOPIA. IN THE FORM OF A DIALOGUE, UTOPIA PRESENTS THE BEST REGIME OF A PHILOSOPHIC CHARACTER, RAPHAEL HYTHLODAEUS. IN CONSTRUCTING A REGIME BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT HAPPINESS CONSISTS IN THE ACQUISITION OF PLEASURE, UTOPIA PRESENTS ONE OF THE FIRST PROPOSALS FOR POLITICAL HEDONISM. WHILE THE UTOPIAN UNDERSTANDING OF HAPPINESS RESTRICTS THEIR PURSUIT OF PLEASURE TO THOSE AUSTERE PLEASURES WHICH ARE NATURAL, THEIR HEDONISM NEVERTHELESS CAUSES PROBLEMS WHICH REQUIRE STRICT POLITICAL CONTROL. MORE IMPORTANT, AN ANALYSIS OF THE TEXT REVEALS THAT THE UPOPIAN UNDERSTANDING OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF HUMAN NATURE IS SIMPLISTIC. THUS, THE PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIALOGUE REVEALS THAT MORE'S PURPOSE IS NOT TO RECOMMEND SUCH RADICAL CHANGE BUT TO SHOW THE DANGERS OF SUCH IDEALISTIC PROPOSALS.

WHEN ADDRESSING THE QUESTION OF UTOPIA AND THE STATE IN ISLAMIC POLITICAL THOUGHT, THIS ARTICLE CONFRONTS THE PROBLEMATIC STATUS OF POLITICAL THOUGHT IN ISLAM, AND APPROACHES IT IN A WAY OTHER THAN BY ANALOGY WITH MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT. IT SCANS A PERIOD OF OVER A THOUSAND YEARS AND PROBES THE EDGES AND BOUNDARIES OF ITS SUBJECT MATTER; IT OFFERS A NUMBER OF SPECIFICATIONS, DISTINCTIONS AND NOTIONS WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL TO BEGIN THINKING ABOUT UTOPIAN IN ISLAMIC POLITICAL THOUGHT.

El ejercicio utópico de la voluntad política que caracteriza el XIX latinoamericano se desgrana en las categorías de unidad continental, unidad cultural, unidad en el concepto de Patria, etc.; clausurando un apretado siglo de extrema densidad social y política, un siglo de utopía en el discurso. Una Ilustración insuficiente, el coste del hibridismo, las comunidades imaginadas, las dependencias encadenadas, las resistencias, los logros y los fracasos, traducen el sacrificio, la traición y la inconclusión de la tarea emancipatoria. Si podemos contemplar hoy día el descubrimiento de América como el comienzo de una empresa civilizatoria, y admirar sus obras más allá del trabajo infatigable de una destrucción que no ha cesado, es sólo en virtud de esta tradición de crítica y resistencia , a lo largo de un proceso social, artístico y literario ininterrumpido hasta el día de hoy. ; Abstract: The utopian exercise of the political will, that characterizes the Latin American XIX»s, unfolds in the categories of continental unity, cultural unity, unity in the concept of homeland, and so on., closing a busy century of social and political extreme density, that is, a century of utopia on discourse. An insufficient Illustration, the cost of the hybridism, imagined communities, chained dependencies, resistances, successes and failures, reflect the sacrifice, betrayal, and the incompleteness of the work of emancipation. If we can see today the discovery of America as the beginning of a civilizatory venture, and admire their works beyond the hard work of destruction that has not stopped, it is only by virtue of this tradition of critique and resistance, along a social, artistic and literary process uninterrupted until today.

Abstract
Thomas More's 1516 Utopia describes a 'fictitious' republic on an imaginary island, and draws heavily on ancient political ideas. This paper explores the difficulties of applying the term 'utopia' to Plato's political thinking, given that More's term is anachronistically applied to ancient texts. The projects of the Republic and Laws should not be interpreted as 'utopian', but as blueprints for a foundation such as a new city, rather than as imagined ideal cities after More's model. Support for Plato's practical involvement in matters of political foundation is drawn from the Seventh Letter. The Republic and the Laws are discussed not as utopias, but political manifestos. The political context in which Plato lived, and his objectives, gives his political writings a wholly different dimension. The goal of the Republic and the Laws is not to describe unrealizable constitutions, but to exchange the Athenian constitution of Plato's time for another.

Myth, Utopia, and Political Action
Starting from the premise that some form of "reality transcendence", i.e. the ability to imagine a different reality and reach out for the (un)thinkable, is necessary for political action, the aim of this paper is to analyse the concepts of myth and utopia elaborated by Georges Sorel and Karl Mannheim and to examine their possible contributions to a theory of political action and social change. By comparing the role the authors assign to rationality and irrationality in human affairs, methodological and conceptual differences between Sorel's and Mannheim's approaches to the political are illustrated. It turns out that due to its immunity to critique Sorel's concept of the social myth is highly problematic. Mannheim's concept of utopia, on the other hand, culminates in a technocratic understanding of the political. Though both approaches emphasise the collective dimension of political action, they ultimately exhibit elitist understandings of the political.