Green's Idealism and the Metaphysics of Ethics
In: T. H. Green: Ethics, Metaphysics, and Political Philosophy, S. 160-186
In: T. H. Green: Ethics, Metaphysics, and Political Philosophy, S. 160-186
In: Freedom and Moral Sentiment, S. 11-21
In: Visible Identities, S. 151-176
In: The Common Good in Late Medieval Political Thought, S. 76-101
In: T. H. Green: Ethics, Metaphysics, and Political Philosophy, S. 76-105
Problems with Richard Rorty's pragmatist understanding of liberalism, especially in relation to defining social justice, are considered. It is contended that Rorty's identification as a postmodern is fundamentally ironic since he considers himself a Hegelian yet rejects certain metanarratives (eg, history). Rorty's contention that certain Enlightenment & post-Enlightenment philosophies are inappropriate for modern society since they rely on metaphysical understandings of social & political practices is reviewed. It is subsequently contended that Rorty's understanding of liberalism as providing a paradigm for social justice is itself based on a metaphysical metanarrative. Consequently, a social scientific approach to determining social justice that relies on certain truth-claims to evaluate political practices is advocated. 17 References. J. W. Parker
Problems with Richard Rorty's pragmatist understanding of liberalism, especially in relation to defining social justice, are considered. It is contended that Rorty's identification as a postmodern is fundamentally ironic since he considers himself a Hegelian yet rejects certain metanarratives (eg, history). Rorty's contention that certain Enlightenment & post-Enlightenment philosophies are inappropriate for modern society since they rely on metaphysical understandings of social & political practices is reviewed. It is subsequently contended that Rorty's understanding of liberalism as providing a paradigm for social justice is itself based on a metaphysical metanarrative. Consequently, a social scientific approach to determining social justice that relies on certain truth-claims to evaluate political practices is advocated. 17 References. J. W. Parker
Examines tensions between critical, polemical, & messianic threads in Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri's Empire (2000) in light of prior arguments deviating from orthodox historical materialism. Hardt & Negri's move from a deconstructive-critical to an ethnopolitical methodological approach is addressed before considering the place of Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari's work in their postmodernism, highlighting the notion of "deterritorialization." Understanding their polemical divergence from critical or deconstructive approaches when such polemic does little to impel or describe the leftist struggle is difficult; ie, their prophecy is problematized when their metaphysics offers no empirical course or conclusion, & this raises questions for the organization of their notion of multitude. Attention turns to comparing their thought to Georges Sorel's anarchist variation on orthodox Leninism; specifically, multitude is likened to his "General Strike," with the Hardt & Negri's idea constituting what Sorel would call a political myth. The value of such a myth for social movements operating in the context of Empire is questioned. J. Zendejas
An autobiographical narrative draws on Maria Lugones's (1992) notion of a "new mestiza consciousness" to describe the experiences of a woman who considers herself neither completely inside, nor completely outside, conventional mainstream categories. The focus is on being a person of mixed heritage who occupies the "in-between" space of both a professional philosopher & embryologist, as well as the unique space of a semiprofessional artist & ballroom dancer. It is contended that being trained as both a philosopher & scientist, coupled with having the experiences of an artist, have permitted bypassing many disciplinary, intellectual, & institutional boundaries, while also integrating pragmatic issues concerning gender & science into the practice of teaching & research. The incorporation of scientific materials like the evolving nature of Darwinism into an introductory philosophy class is described, along with how both science & art can be integrated into epistemology & metaphysics; & how tensions stemming from being an insider-outsider serve to empower the reworking of professional, institutional, gendered, & racial borders. 12 References. J. Lindroth
A critique of Jacques Derrida's Specters of Marx: The State of the Debt, the Work of Mourning, and the New International (1993) focuses on the relation between the progressive construction of deconstruction & the object it transforms, specifically the specters of capital. The ontological importance of Karl Marx's spectral reading of ideology as applied to capital/society is examined, maintaining that a specter is the "movement of an abstraction that is materialized & becomes powerful." To Marx, the phenomenology of capitalist production, via this spectral movement, demonstrates capital's metaphysics & the autonomy of its power. The contributions of deconstruction to an updated critique of capitalism are discussed, claiming that irreversible transformations of postmodern labor & relations in production affirm the inadequacy of Marxian critiques of value & create a new spectral reality in which no measure is perceptible. The specter of communism & Derrida's avoidance of the word "exploitation" are explored, suggesting that, although Marx's ontological description of exploitation is out of date, the mechanisms that produce it are even more powerful in the era of postindustrial capitalism. Suggestions are made for a radical new form of Marxism. J. Lindroth
Discusses four contexts or "moments" wherein cosmopolitanism took purchase to expose the limits & potential of some currently relevant cosmopolitan ideas/ideals & practices. Detailed are Zeno's moment in antiquity, Kant's moment circa the French Revolution, Arendt's moment in light of Nazism & Stalinism & the notion of crimes against humanity, & Nussbaum's moment related to educational reform & as exemplary of late North American thought. Following their explication, brief comments are offered. In connection to Zeno's moment, issues of political community are touched on. For Kant's moment, three related problems of his philosophy of history & metaphysics of justice are addressed. A sense of disembodiment is apparent in Arendt's moment & her treatment of cosmopolitan law in relation to crimes against humanity. In Nussbaum's moment, the paradox that states, via the educational system, employed strong ideologies of assimilation & integration with immigrants is recognized. In this light, it is suggested that cosmopolitanism cannot provide the one solution to problems related to nationalism, racism, ethnic conflict, or religious fundamentalism; however, in reflecting on these moments, the moral requirement for a cosmopolitanism is evident & a call is made for cautious advance. J. Zendejas
Discusses four contexts or "moments" wherein cosmopolitanism took purchase to expose the limits & potential of some currently relevant cosmopolitan ideas/ideals & practices. Detailed are Zeno's moment in antiquity, Kant's moment circa the French Revolution, Arendt's moment in light of Nazism & Stalinism & the notion of crimes against humanity, & Nussbaum's moment related to educational reform & as exemplary of late North American thought. Following their explication, brief comments are offered. In connection to Zeno's moment, issues of political community are touched on. For Kant's moment, three related problems of his philosophy of history & metaphysics of justice are addressed. A sense of disembodiment is apparent in Arendt's moment & her treatment of cosmopolitan law in relation to crimes against humanity. In Nussbaum's moment, the paradox that states, via the educational system, employed strong ideologies of assimilation & integration with immigrants is recognized. In this light, it is suggested that cosmopolitanism cannot provide the one solution to problems related to nationalism, racism, ethnic conflict, or religious fundamentalism; however, in reflecting on these moments, the moral requirement for a cosmopolitanism is evident & a call is made for cautious advance. J. Zendejas