False Consciousness for Liberals, Part I: Consent, Autonomy, and Adaptive Preferences

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Enoch
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
False Consciousness ◽  
Causal History ◽  
Adaptive Preferences ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Liberal Perspective ◽  
What Matters

The starting point regarding consent has to be that it is both extremely important, and that it is often suspicious. In this article, the author tries to make sense of both of these claims, from a largely liberal perspective, tying consent, predictably, to the value of autonomy and distinguishing between autonomy as sovereignty and autonomy as nonalienation. The author then discusses adaptive preferences, claiming that they suffer from a rationality flaw (they are typically formed for reasons of the wrong kind) but that it's not clear that this flaw matters morally or politically. What matters is whether they suffer from an autonomy flaw. To answer this question, the author develops an account of autonomy failure, according to which a preference is nonautonomous if an injustice played an appropriate role in its causal history. The author then discusses the moral implications—and in an initial way, the political ones as well—of proclaiming a preference, or consent based on it, nonautonomous in this way.

scholarly journals Ideology matters: European political philosophy in pursuit of ideological concept of the XXI century

2020 ◽  
pp. 39-59
Author(s):  
Irina Myurberg
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
The Political ◽  
False Consciousness ◽  
Retrospective Assessment ◽  
Cognitive Framework ◽  
Marxist Ideology ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
New Perspective

Marxist understanding of ideology as a “false consciousness” should be recognized as most influential (in retrospective assessment) among classical theories of ideology of the XIX and XX centuries. The problem of overcoming this understanding substantiates current situation of distrust of the institution of ideology itself. The goal of this research consists in demonstration of fundamental novelty of certain methods of formation of the renewed political ideology that replace Marxist ideology. The establishing new perspective to some extent originates with the political and philosophical classics of the XX century. The starting point of this research is the fact that since the middle of the previous century, the ideology was perceived as one of the most problematic fields of the Western European political thought. The author examines the theoretical-methodological approaches of M. Foucault, enhanced with the method of morphological analysis. Applicable to the problem of modernization of ideology, the goal traced by Foucault lied in determination of the historically specific “discourse order” opposed to neoliberal polymorphism as the political “art of governance” (“the birth of biopolitics”). This approach suggests following the principle of self-criticism in philosophical cognition of ideology alongside other principles. Within the cognitive framework of political philosophy, it manifests as a solution, speaking of the “political”, going into the field of philosophical concepts from the established language of political science to where it is required by the task for describing “regime of the truth”.

Issue Dimensions and Cleavages: How the Russian Experience Helps Us to Look for Cross-Points

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-235
Author(s):  
Yury Korgunyuk
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
The Political ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Issue Salience ◽  
Empirical Base ◽  
Party Positions ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Weak Points ◽  
Alternative Methodology ◽  
Election Results

Abstract The article analyzes the weak points of the Manifesto Project’s methodology, such as its emphasis on issue salience, instead of issue positions; bringing the content of manifestos under too broad categories formulated at the beginning of the project; not quite the appropriate technique of factor analysis etc. An alternative methodology is proposed that focuses on party positions on issues which generate the largest polarization in the political space. It also enriches the empirical base of the studies and adjusts the technique of factor analysis. In order to reveal political cleavages inside these dimensions, the so called electoral cleavages (factors of territorial differences in voting for various parties) are taken as a starting point: factor loadings of parties in the electoral and political spaces are compared through correlation and regression analyses. The proposed methodology is applied to an analysis of election results in Russia (2016) and Germany (2017).

Od politycznej współpracy do gospodarczej konkurencji – przemysł obronny krajów Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej po upadku ZSRR

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-98
Author(s):  
Mieczysław Szlachta ◽  
Andrzej Ciupiński
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Defense Industry ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Central Eastern Europe ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Cold War

The paper presents the scope and scale of transformation of the defense industries of Central Eastern Europe (CEE) countries after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR. The starting point is the role and position of the armaments economy sector (armaments economy environment), embedded in the realities of the centrally planned economy, and its submission to the politics of the USSR. The turn of the centuries was a period of political and economic transformation conducted during the conditions of a deep economic recession. The defense industry was one of the economic sectors most affected by the crisis. The economic and defense policy of CEE countries was aimed at preserving the capabilities of the armaments sector. Restructuring activities initiated and forced by the change of the political and economic environment have already brought noticeable effects, even though the process has not yet been completed. Defense industry enterprises have become entities operating on the same terms and conditions as other companies on the competitive market. The method of comparative analysis and a case study supplemented with elements of descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the course of the processes. The study has been focused on the analysis of the course of the changes and examination of effects of the analyzed phenomena for the economy and defense of the CEE countries, taking into account primarily their scale and scope.

scholarly journals NÅR KULTUREN GÅR I KROPPEN: „Halve grønlændere" som begreb og fænomen

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Wagner Sørensen
Keyword(s):  
Large Degree ◽  
Cultural Discourse ◽  
The Political ◽  
False Consciousness ◽  
Two Cultures ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Political Independence ◽  
Political Perspective ◽  
Identity Crises ◽  
The Ideal

Bo Wagner Sørensen: When Culture Gets Embodied: The Notion and Phenomenon of Greenlandic “Halfies’’ The article tries to make sense of the notion of Greenlandic “halfies” by showing how the notion is part of a cultural discourse which is expressed in terms of “between two cultures”. This discourse points both to people being split between cultures and to the cultures having materialized themselves in individual bodies. In light of recent critique of the concept of culture in anthropology it is reasonable to question the essentialism underlying the expression “between two cultures”, and also to imagine that individuals who invoke it are suffering from “false consciousness”. However, it seems that the discourse causes real pain in actual bodies, and therefore it needs to be taken seriously. In the article, the discourse is put in a larger historical, social and political perspective, showing how the idea has been established that Greenlandic and Danish culture and identity are rather incompatible entities. The Greenlandic struggle for political independence has been fought to a large degree in the field of culture, which implies that people in general are informed by dichotomy thinking. Individuals who do not match up with the acknowledged criteria for Greenlandic culture and identity are inclined to be caught between cultures and loyalities, the result being that the political cultural war is reproduced and reflected in individual bodies. Due to the widespread identityhealth model according to which the ideal identity is a clear-cut and fixed ethnic identity, these individuals are often believed to experience identity crises. The article suggests that the “problem” may not be one of incompatible cultural essences, though it is widely thought so, but rather that culture and identity get politicized.  

scholarly journals Automating Creativity

Screenworks ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Creative Industries ◽  
Communication Media ◽  
The Political ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
Technology And Culture ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Automated Tools ◽  
Archive Material

Sy Taffel’s thought-provoking documentary Automating Creativity explores how workers in the creative industries and academics who study technology and culture understand the existing and emerging relationships between automation and creativity, and how these relationships inform contemporary communication, media and culture. Taking the recent surge of interest in digital automation as his starting point, Taffel constructs a pointed overview of these computational tools in relation to creative practices through interviews with key figures in the field, archive material and voice over narration. His accompanying statement examines the political implications of digital automation and reflects on his own use of automated tools during the production of the documentary soundtrack.

scholarly journals “The 1990s Wasn’t Just a Time of Bandits; We Feminists Were Also Making Mischief!”

Aspasia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36
Author(s):  
Julie Hemment ◽  
Valentina Uspenskaya
Keyword(s):  
Gender Studies ◽  
Young Women ◽  
The Political ◽  
Educational Project ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
History Of ◽  
Twentieth Anniversary ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Distinguishing Features ◽  
East West

In this forum, we reflect on the genesis and history of the Tver’ Center for Women’s History and Gender Studies—its inspiration and the qualities that have enabled it to flourish and survive the political changes of the last twenty years, as well as the unique project of women educating women it represents. Inspired by historical feminist forebears, it remains a hub of intergenerational connection, inspiring young women via exposure to lost histories of women’s struggle for emancipation during the prerevolutionary and socialist periods, as well as the recent postsocialist past. Using an ethnographic account of the center’s twentieth anniversary conference as a starting point, we discuss some of its most salient and distinguishing features, as well as the unique educational project it represents and undertakes: the center’s origins in exchange and mutual feminist enlightenment; its historical orientation (women educating [wo]men in emancipation history); and its commitment to the postsocialist feminist “East-West” exchange.

scholarly journals O granicach i przepaściach: dyskurs o górach i separacji na terenach objętych konfliktem etnicznym

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 248-265
Author(s):  
Michael Wedekind
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Alpine Region ◽  
The Political ◽  
Mental Maps ◽  
Habsburg Monarchy ◽  
State Apparatus ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Masses

ON BOUNDARIES AND GAPS: DISCOURSES ON MOUNTAINS AND SEPARATION IN AREAS AFFECTED BY ETHNIC CONFLICTThe author examines the reasons behind the political instrumentalisation and ethnicisation of tourism as a private social practice, allegedly far removed from politics. Using the example of the Austrian Alpine Region specifically, the Duchy of Tyrol during the late Habsburg Monarchy, he demonstrates that this political sphere of action was a promising starting point for the nationalisation of the masses of the masses, especially wherever national circles of various communities had no access to the state apparatus and to classic socialisation organs and, therefore, had to resort to auxiliary measures to socialise nationality. In addition to issuing calls to visit areas close to linguistic and national borders and projecting ethnic partly racial models of segmentation and exclusion, tourism was used as ground for the building of national identity, for strategies of social integration and mobilisation, for establishing new mental maps and links of loyalty.

scholarly journals Jak możliwa (do pomyślenia) jest dobrowolna niewola? O nowożytnych formach rządzenia, ideologii i spektaklu władzy

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 101-110
Author(s):  
Mateusz Falkowski
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Political ◽  
Historical Evolution ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Etienne De La Boetie ◽  
The One ◽  
Voluntary Servitude

The article is devoted to the famous The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude by Étienne de La Boétie. The author considers the theoretical premises underlying the concept of “voluntary servitude”, juxtaposing them with two modern concepts of will developed by Descartes and Pascal. An important feature of La Boétie’s project is the political and therefore intersubjective – as opposed to the individualistic perspective of Descartes and Pascal – starting point. It is therefore situated against the background of, on the one hand, the historical evolution of early modern states (from feudal monarchies, through so-called Renaissance monarchies up to European absolutisms) and, on the other hand – of the political philosophy of Machiavelli and Hobbes.

scholarly journals The Ethical, Political and Economic Challenges of Effective Altruism

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-76
Author(s):  
Mateusz Kucz ◽  
Piotr Rosół
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
The Political ◽  
Consensus Building ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Political Consequences ◽  
Ethical Position ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Effective Altruism ◽  
Good Starting Point

This paper presents a critical evaluation of ethical and philosophical concerns about the effective altruism as an ethical position. Effective altruists claim that one of our important ethical obligations is to do the most good possible, with the biggest possible positive impact. This impact should be measured with rational tools and by evaluating the effectiveness of our actions. At first glance, this might seem as a consensus building position, a good starting point for building a community of people wanting to change the world for the better. In our paper, we present some difficulties which are connected with such a way of thinking about charity and an ethical obligation to donate. We discuss the problem of the commercialization of ethical values, understanding effectiveness, agreeing about goals, as well as the political consequences of effective altruism understood as an ethical position.

scholarly journals Imaginar, escribir. La imaginación lingüística en J. Joyce y P. Celan, a través de Nietzsche

2012 ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Noelia Billi
Keyword(s):  
Characteristic Feature ◽  
The Political ◽  
Resistance Strategies ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Ethical Significance

 A partir del abordaje nietzscheano del lenguaje –que lo arranca de la habitual reducción a instrumento de la conciencia, propia de la modernidad y lo postula como constitutivo de la subjetividad–, se reflexiona acerca de la imaginación lingüística en tanto potencia de insurrección. Operando desde adentro de las lenguas dominantes, ciertos usos literarios evidencian una diversidad de estrategias de resistencia a los intentos de aniquilación de la otredad, característico de las lenguas hegemónicas. Las escrituras de J. Joyce y P. Celan son estudiadas como ejercicios de la imaginación lingüística que, echando mano a recursos diferentes (la proliferación de lo extraño, la sustracción y el silencio), muestran la radical importancia política y ética de la resistencia a través de la escritura. Taking as a starting point the Nietzschean approach to language –one which gets language out of its ordinary, and typically modern, reduction to conscience’s instrument and postulates it as a constituent of Subjectiviy–, this paper examines the Linguistic Imagination as Insurrection Power. Running from the inside of Dominant Languages, certain literary uses make clear a variety of Resistance Strategies to Otherness Annihilation attempts, characteristic feature of hegemonic languages. J. Joyce and P. Celan “Writings” are studied as Linguistic Imagination exercises which, resorting to different resources (proliferation of the Strange, Subtraction and Silence), show the Political as well as Ethical significance of resisting through Writing.

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