scholarly journals Technical Reason and Political Reason: Spaces/Times Not Considered

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Martín-Barbero

This speech was written in memory of Norbert Lechner.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-148
Author(s):  
Jan Overwijk

For the Critical Theory tradition of the Frankfurt School, rationalisation is a central concept that refers to the socio-cultural closure of capitalist modernity due to the proliferation of technical, ‘instrumental’ rationality at the expense of some form of political reason. This picture of rationalisation, however, hinges on a separation of technology and politics that is both empirically and philosophically problematic. This article aims to re-conceptualise the rationalisation thesis through a survey of research from science and technology studies and the conceptual framework of Niklas Luhmann's systems theory. It argues that rationalisation indeed exhibits a logic of closure, namely the ‘operational closure’ of sociotechnical systems of measurement, but that this closure in fact produces the historical logics of technical reason and, paradoxically, also generates spaces of critical-political openness. This opens up the theoretical and practical opportunity of connecting the politically just to the technically efficient.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-107
Author(s):  
RAJESH HEYNICKX

This essay cross-examines both the correlation and the disjunction between art philosophy and political reason in the thinking of the French Jewish art philosopher, Kant specialist and socialist politician Victor Basch (1863–1944). Two interwoven lines of questioning will be in play. One considers the extent to which Basch's theory of beauty, which was primarily grounded in a psychological theory of Einfühlung, was a corollary to his political ideas and practices. The other line of inquiry raises questions about how Basch's political position, namely his anti-facist defending of republican values, became influenced by his work on aesthetics. By answering both questions, this article challenges the traditional historiography of interwar aesthetics. The esaay shows how conceptual debates of aesthetics were not just sterile theoretical products, but to a large extent offered an apparatus to diagnose and orientate a rapidly changing world. Therefore this essay develops a reflection about the gaze needed to take in the complex historical situations from which aesthetic reflections grew, and which in turn they addressed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-459
Author(s):  
Velibor Korać

With the adoption of the new Law on Certification of Signatures, Manuscripts and Transcripts the Montenegrin legislator did not take into account the fact of introducing the notary services into the legal system of Montenegro. Unlike most of the comparative legislations, certification of signatures, transcripts and manuscripts have not been transferred to the exclusive competence of notaries, but a competitive competence of notaries, local administration authorities and the courts in carrying out these assignments has been retained. Further retention of competitive jurisdiction in this matter is not justified any more. The analysis of this decision has shown that it leads to an unequal position, depending on the authority before which the certification is performed, whereas the obligations and professional competences of officials and notaries are different. Notarial certifications contribute to greater legal certainty and besides are more available to the citizens and not more expensive. Parallel jurisdiction is not a standard of notarial services in European continental law which has adopted the Latin model of notary as a independent profession having public authorities. This solution does not lead to building a legal certainty, protection of public interest and relieving the work of courts and administrative authorities, which has been the underlying legal political reason for introducing notariat.


Author(s):  
Miguel Azpitarte Sánchez

La renovada defensa que el Tribunal de Justicia hace del concepto de autonomía contrasta con los impulsos políticos que intentan abrir la jurisdicción de la Unión, sea prolongando su intervención hacia fuera, o reconociendo competencia a tribunales ajenos a ella. Dada esta situación paradójica, mi intención es reflexionar sobre el vínculo entre autonomía del ordenamiento y funciones esenciales del sistema jurisdiccional. Para ello, en el epígrafe II, al modo de un intento de arqueología jurídica, me planteo cuáles han sido las razones constitucionales que condujeron a diseñar ese vínculo que el Tribunal de Justicia ha subrayado. En mi opinión, tres divisiones esenciales —la funcional, la institucional y la de parámetros de validez— dan sentido al modelo de cooperación vigilada que sostendría la autonomía del ordenamiento. A continuación, en el epígrafe III, intento mostrar las debilidades actuales del sistema jurisdiccional de la Unión. En primer lugar, pese a que el Tribunal de Justicia hace causa firme de la autonomía, la realidad y las propias exigencias de los Tratados constitutivos llaman a su complemento por otros actores. La pregunta esencial es saber qué función cumplen tales actores en esa labor de adición. En segundo lugar, la tutela que ofrece el sistema jurisdiccional de la Unión es hoy doblemente asimétrica, de un lado porque no extiende la garantía de la tutela judicial mediante recursos; de otro, porque opera de forma distinta si controla actos del Estado o de los particulares. Finalmente, intentaré defender que estos dos flancos abiertos —una autonomía necesitada de complemento y una tutela asimétrica— explican al menos la razón política encaminada a abrir la jurisdicción más allá de la Unión.The European Court’s renew vindication of the autonomy of the European Union Legal order opposes against the political impulses directed to open the judicial power of the Union, taking its jurisdiction beyond the Union or giving jurisdiction to court outside the Unión. Do to this paradox, I try to analyze the link between autonomy of the legal order and indispensable tasks of the judicial power of the Unión. In title II, in an effort of juridical archeology, I wonder which have been the constitutional reasons that moved to the link mentioned. In my opinion three fundamental divisions —functional, institutional and validity divisions— justify the jurisdictional model of vigilant cooperation that build the autonomy of the legal order. In title III, I try to show the weakness of this model. Firstly, although the European Court holds strong on autonomy, reality and the constitutive Treaties call for a complement. The essential question is to know what function develop several actors. Secondly, the protection offered by the judicial power of the Union is asymmetric in a double sense: it does not extend the protection through a system of appeals and it works in a different way attending to state or private origin of the wrong. Finally, I try to defend that those two asymmetries explain the political reason towards the opening of the judicial power of the Union.


Author(s):  
C. M. M. Olfert

Aristotle famously holds that practical reason is different from other kinds of reason, including theoretical and technical reason. But in virtue of what is it different? On a standard interpretation, which I call the “Objects View,” Aristotle holds that practical reason is distinct because it thinks about a distinct kind of object or subject matter: it thinks about things that can be brought about or affected by our actions. But this view is unsatisfying. Why, we might wonder, should we need an entirely different kind of reason in order to think about a specific kind of object? As my account of practical truth shows, there is an easy answer to this objection. Aristotle does not distinguish practical reason from other kinds of reason by the object it thinks about. I explain the many difficulties with the Objects View as an interpretation of Aristotle in this chapter.


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