Hegel, Tocqueville, and “Individualism”

2005 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 659-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Villa
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Social Contract ◽  
Individual Rights ◽  
Associational Life ◽  
Moral Individualism ◽  
Civic Republicanism ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Liberal Individualism

Critics of liberal individualism have pointed out the many failures of “atomism” as a method in social and political philosophy. Their methodological criticisms have a tendency, however, to devolve into repudiations of moral individualism as such. In part, this is due to a misreading of Hegel and Tocqueville, two critics of individualism who nevertheless upheld the importance of individual rights and what Hegel called “freedom of subjectivity.” My essay brings these two very different theorists together in order to show how each deliberately dispensed with the ontology inherited from eighteenth-century social contract theory, the better to focus on associational life and public freedom. The end result is not a relapse into the rhetoric of civic republicanism, but a refurbishment of that tradition from the standpoint of modern liberty: the liberty of the individual. This common project links Hegel, the idealist philosopher, and Tocqueville, the liberal-republican, in unexpected but complementary ways.

Multiculturalism in Canada: Individual vs. Collective Rights  

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meaghan Dalby
Keyword(s):  
Hate Crimes ◽  
Individual Rights ◽  
Group Rights ◽  
Collective Rights ◽  
Controversial Topic ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Canadian Culture ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Individual

This essay will look at the controversial topic of multiculturalism in Canada.  It will explore aspects of individual rights compared with group rights.  This is a very important topic to Canadians, as they claim to live in a multicultural nation where many different groups co‐exist.  In order to answer the many questions which arise with this topic, it is first necessary to define multiculturalism as it has developed throughout the nation.  With this background in mind, it will be easier to understand where individual rights stemmed from.  Did they evolve on their own, or do they stem from group rights and traditions which were already in existence? Does this make a difference when we compare the two?  As multiculturalism becomes more prominent in Canadian culture, and the rights of the group come to the forefront, where do individual rights stand?  Immigrants coming to Canada can expect that their cultural differences will be tolerated and respected, yet problems can arise if individual rights are infringed upon.  This essay will specifically look at the case study of Sharia Law infringing on women’s rights in Ontario, and Ernst Zundel who spread hate crimes against the Jews under the pretext of the individual right to free speech. Through these case studies, it will be determined whether Canadians prefer to have their individual rights protected, or respect their cultural and groups rights above all else.   The conclusion will express how Canadians feel about the difference between group and individual rights.

The State as “a Consequence of the Curse of Humanity”: The Late Schelling’s Philosophy of Religion and of the State

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Danz
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Social Contract ◽  
Philosophy Of Religion ◽  
The State ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
The Individual

AbstractThis paper analyzes the hitherto neglected political philosophy (Staatsphilosophie) contained in Schelling’s Berlin lectures on the philosophy of mythology and of revelation in the context of the complex and politically charged debates of the German Vormärz period. It will be shown that, in his political philosophy, the Berlin Schelling rejects social contract models of the state and follows conservative theorists who conceive of the state as a collective order that supersedes the individual, while at the same time preserving the freedom of the individual and rejecting religious legitimizations of the state. Schelling’s theory of the state is characterized by its distinctive internal tensions and by its multidimensionality. This complexity of his theory of the state helps to account for the diverse range of receptions and assessments of his political philosophy, both among his contemporaries and by subsequent commentators

scholarly journals Durkheim on Moral Individualism, Social Justice and Rights: A Gendered Construction of Rights

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-438
Author(s):  
Marcela Cristi
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Individual Rights ◽  
Standard Interpretation ◽  
Moral Individualism ◽  
Class Stratification ◽  
Male Individual ◽  
Just Society ◽  
The Individual

A standard interpretation of Durkheim’s theory of individualism is that he advocated the rights and dignity of the individual, and a social order based on the principles of equality and justice. Contemporary scholars discuss his notion of individual rights in neutral terms, as if Durheim applied it equally to both sexes, ignoring the fact that women are excluded from Durkheim’s vision of a just society. This article places Durkheim’s theory of moral individualism and social justice in the context of his views on women, and offers a critique both of his theory and its present-day interpretation. It is argued that while Durkheim refers to the “individual” in generic terms, his approach to a just social order and universal rights is essentially articulated around the male individual. While Durkheim never problematized gender inequality, he strongly objected to class stratification and proposed practical solutions to lessen economic injustices and inequality.

scholarly journals (En)countering oppression: an argument for self-skepticism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Joseph Wadden
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Social Contract ◽  
Contract Theory ◽  
Social Contract Theory ◽  
New Model ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Political Problem ◽  
The Many ◽  
Epistemological Analysis

Political philosophy has a lot to say about oppression, but does it adequately address the issue? This project asserts that it does not. The primary goal of this thesis is to redefine how we look at this socio-political problem, and to create a new model for analysis and application. I begin with a discussion of social contract theory and the many ways it has changed in an attempt to properly address the issue of oppression. Following this, the project turns towards an ethico-epistemological analysis of the elements of oppression in the modern social sphere. In this analysis, I look at prejudice, bias, disagreement, virtue, and vice as they pertain to the problem of oppression. Notably, this project considers the epistemic effects/affects of both the oppressed’s and the oppressor’s viewpoint. Finally, the project culminates in the development of the Argument for Self-Skepticism, my alternative to current social contract theory.

scholarly journals (En)countering oppression: an argument for self-skepticism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Joseph Wadden
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Social Contract ◽  
Contract Theory ◽  
Social Contract Theory ◽  
New Model ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Political Problem ◽  
The Many ◽  
Epistemological Analysis

Political philosophy has a lot to say about oppression, but does it adequately address the issue? This project asserts that it does not. The primary goal of this thesis is to redefine how we look at this socio-political problem, and to create a new model for analysis and application. I begin with a discussion of social contract theory and the many ways it has changed in an attempt to properly address the issue of oppression. Following this, the project turns towards an ethico-epistemological analysis of the elements of oppression in the modern social sphere. In this analysis, I look at prejudice, bias, disagreement, virtue, and vice as they pertain to the problem of oppression. Notably, this project considers the epistemic effects/affects of both the oppressed’s and the oppressor’s viewpoint. Finally, the project culminates in the development of the Argument for Self-Skepticism, my alternative to current social contract theory.

Rights, socialism and liberalism

Legal Studies ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Nigel Simmonds
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Good Reason ◽  
Legal Order ◽  
Recent Book ◽  
The Political ◽  
Individual Rights ◽  
Socialist Society ◽  
Liberal Society ◽  
Bourgeois Society ◽  
Liberal Individualism

In his recent book, The Left and Rights, Tom Campbell argues that the concept of an individual right has no special or exclusive connection with the political philosophy of liberalism, or with the legal order of a liberal society. The belief that there is some such connection has been shared by both the revolutionary left and the libertarian right. Campbell argues that both groups falsely attribute to the concept of a right features that are contingently associated with the particular rights enforced in bourgeois society. A socialist society, he argues, would have good reason to accord and respect certain individual rights even though these might differ in content, and perhaps in form, from the classic rights of liberal individualism.

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Corey W. Dyck
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Access To Education ◽  
German Philosophy ◽  
Philosophical Movement ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Kantian Philosophy

In this Introduction, I characterize the broader aim of this volume as showcasing women’s contributions to eighteenth-century German philosophy. Notably, these contributions range from topics in metaphysics, logic, and aesthetics, to moral and political philosophy, and pertain to the main philosophical movements in the period (the ‘Leibnizian-Wolffian’ philosophy, the Thomasian philosophy, the ‘popular’ philosophical movement, and the Kantian philosophy). They engage controversial issues such as atheism and materialism, but also women’s struggle for access to education and for recognition of their civic entitlements. The bulk of the Introduction is devoted to an overview of the figures and themes covered in the individual chapters. I conclude with a brief note relating to figures not represented in this volume, and offer a rationale for my choice of the volume's title.

A Handbook to Eddic Poetry: Myths and Legends of Early Scandinavia, ed. Carolyne Larrington, Judy Quinn, and Brittany Schorn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016, xii, 413 pp., 12 b/w ill.

Mediaevistik ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 366-366
Author(s):  
Albrecht Classen
Keyword(s):  
Old Norse ◽  
Entire Volume ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Critical Studies ◽  
Individual Contributions ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Made In ◽  
Scandinavian Literature

Eddic poetry constitutes one of the most important genres in Old Norse or Scandinavian literature and has been studied since the earliest time of modern-day philology. The progress we have made in that field is impressive, considering the many excellent editions and translations, not to mention the countless critical studies in monographs and articles. Nevertheless, there is always a great need to revisit, to summarize, to review, and to digest the knowledge gained so far. The present handbook intends to address all those goals and does so, to spell it out right away, exceedingly well. But in contrast to traditional concepts, the individual contributions constitute fully developed critical article, each with a specialized topic elucidating it as comprehensively as possible, and concluding with a section of notes. Those are kept very brief, but the volume rounds it all off with an inclusive, comprehensive bibliography. And there is also a very useful index at the end. At the beginning, we find, following the table of contents, a list of the contributors, unfortunately without emails, a list of translations and abbreviations of the titles of Eddic poems in the Codex Regius and then elsewhere, and a very insightful and pleasant introduction by Carolyne Larrington. She briefly introduces the genre and then summarizes the essential points made by the individual authors. The entire volume is based on the Eddic Network established by the three editors in 2012, and on two workshops held at St. John’s College, Oxford in 2013 and 2014.

Individuality and Beyond

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedetta Zavatta
Keyword(s):  
Moral Autonomy ◽  
First Line ◽  
Philosophical Interpretation ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
The World ◽  
Regulative Ideal ◽  
Personal Library ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Based on an analysis of the marginal markings and annotations Nietzsche made to the works of Emerson in his personal library, the book offers a philosophical interpretation of the impact on Nietzsche’s thought of his reading of these works, a reading that began when he was a schoolboy and extended to the final years of his conscious life. The many ideas and sources of inspiration that Nietzsche drew from Emerson can be organized in terms of two main lines of thought. The first line leads in the direction of the development of the individual personality, that is, the achievement of critical thinking, moral autonomy, and original self-expression. The second line of thought is the overcoming of individuality: that is to say, the need to transcend one’s own individual—and thus by definition limited—view of the world by continually confronting and engaging with visions different from one’s own and by putting into question and debating one’s own values and certainties. The image of the strong personality that Nietzsche forms thanks to his reading of Emerson ultimately takes on the appearance of a nomadic subject who is continually passing out of themselves—that is to say, abandoning their own positions and convictions—so as to undergo a constant process of evolution. In other words, the formation of the individual personality takes on the form of a regulative ideal: a goal that can never be said to have been definitively and once and for all attained.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document