Editorial

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Michele Nicoletti

In introducing the project of the Rivista Italiana di Filosofia Politica (Italian Journal of Political Philosophy), launched by the Italian Society for Political Philosophy, this editorial explores the relationship between politics and philosophy. As with philosophy itself, political philosophy arises from the desire to understand what is new and to question existing reality. Political philosophy is thus political in a twofold sense: on the one hand, it is an act of freedom vis-à-vis existing power or knowledge, and, on the other, it is an attempt to establish social relations based on discursive rationality, and on open participatory mechanisms for decision-making. This dual political attitude is even more essential in the face of challenges to contemporary societies, such as climate change, migratory movements, dramatic inequalities, and the apparatus of surveillance. Avoiding the risk of a “philosophy of distraction or non-engagement”, political philosophy (and this Journal) endorses the idea of another, “more civic”, philosophy, one which is committed to the opening of new spaces of personal and collective freedom. This Journal intends to nurture the dialogue between Italian and international philosophical-political communities, showing the richness of Italian discussion, and highlighting some of the most authoritative international scholars. 

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
Michele Nicoletti

In introducing the inspiration behind and aims of the new Rivista Italiana di Filosofia Politica (Italian Journal of Political Philosophy), launched by the Italian Society for Political Philosophy, this editorial explores the relationship between politics and philosophy. As does all philosophy, political philosophy arises from the desire to understand what is new and to question existing reality. Political philosophy is thus political in a twofold sense: on the one hand, it is an act of freedom vis-à-vis existing power or knowledge, and, on the other, it is an attempt to establish social relations based on discursive reasoning, and on open participatory mechanisms for decision-making. This dual political attitude is ever more vital in the face of challenges to contemporary societies, such as climate change, migratory movements, dramatic inequalities, and the apparatus of surveillance. Eschewing a philosophy of distraction and non-engagement, political philosophy (and this Journal) endorses the idea of another, “more civic”, philosophy, one which is committed to the opening of new spaces of personal and collective freedom. This Journal intends to nurture the dialogue between Italian and international philosophical-political communities, showing the richness of Italian discussion, and highlighting some of the most authoritative international scholars. 


2020 ◽  

Whereas democracy still seemed to be triumphantly sweeping the world before the turn of the century, today it finds itself under immense pressure, not only as a viable political system, but also as a theoretical and normative concept. The coronavirus crisis has underlined and accelerated these developments. There are manifold reasons for this, above all the fundamental changes the state and society have undergone in the face of globalisation, digitalisation, migration, climate change and not least the current pandemic, to name the most significant of them. This volume analyses the changes to democracy in the 21st century and the crises it has experienced. In doing so, the book identifies where action is needed, on the one hand, and investigates appropriate, up-to-date reforms and the prospects for politics, political communication and political education, on the other. With contributions by Ulrich von Alemann, Bernd Becker, Frank Brettschneider, Frank Decker, Claudio Franzius, Georg Paul Hefty, Andreas Kalina, Helmut Klages, Uwe Kranenpohl, Pola Lehmann, Linus Leiten, Dirk Lüddecke, Thomas Metz, Ursula Münch, Ursula Alexandra Ohliger, Veronika Ohliger, Rainer-Olaf Schultze, Peter Seyferth, Hans Vorländer, Uwe Wagschal, Thomas Waldvogel and Samuel Weishaupt


Author(s):  
Norbert Campagna

Climate change will have as a consequence a more or less important rise of global sea levels. For some countries, this is likely to mean their total disappearance, if no measures are taken. Some of these measures might be too costly for the country to finance and its population will have no other choice but to migrate to another country. This contribution considers this kind of problem from the point of view of political philosophy. My arguments will rest on two fundamental assumptions. On the one hand, we find the state’s duty to protect its citizens against internal and external dangers, and on the other, the individual’s right not to have to migrate. Each state must protect its own citizens against foreign dangers. It will also be assumed that no state has a right to endanger the very existence of another state. The contribution aims to show some of the major consequences of these assumptions for the ethical problem of migration due to the consequences of human-induced climate change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-236
Author(s):  
Anne M. Cronin

This article offers a sociological account of how we might analyse the relationship between contemporary practices and discourses of secrecy on the one hand, and those of transparency on the other hand. While secrecy is often framed in popular and political discourses as the antithesis of transparency, in reality, their relationship is more complex and co-constitutive than may initially appear. The article argues that understanding the interface between secrecy and transparency as a socially embedded dynamic can offer public relations scholarship productive avenues for both theoretically oriented research and empirical studies. In its role in the management of the secrecy−transparency dynamic, PR plays a significant role in actively creating social relations. This article aims to provide resources for assessing the strength of this dynamic in acting to structure social, political and economic relations, and offers new perspectives on how techniques employed to manage the secrecy–transparency dynamic – including public relations – are both embedded in such relations and act to shape them.


Author(s):  
Nico Stehr

AbstractThe leading scientists debating climate change increasingly view the relationship between knowledge and governance as an “inconvenient democracy.” On the one hand, the discrepancy between the knowledge of climate change and citizens’ commitments to behavioral changes amounts to the diagnosis of an “inconvenient mind”; on the other hand, the inertia of policies to capture progress in knowledge leads to the diagnosis of “inconvenient institutions.” The sense of political ineffectiveness felt especially among climate scientists provokes a strong disenchantment with democratic governance. As a result, some scientists propose that political action based on principles of democratic governance be abandoned. In my article, I argue that such a view is mistaken.


Author(s):  
Matthew Lehnert ◽  
Isabelle Nilsson ◽  
Neil Reid

The impressive growth in the number of craft breweries in the United States has created both opportunities and challenges for municipalities. On the one hand, it is evident that craft breweries can add to the diversity of the urban fabric and contribute in a meaningful way to neighborhood vitality and, in the case of distressed areas, to neighborhood revitalization. On the other hand, zoning regulations in many municipalities have not been particularly accommodating. Craft breweries pose a challenge to municipalities, as their businesses represent a hybrid of restaurant, manufacturer, and entertainment. To capitalize on the growing popularity of craft breweries, municipalities have been changing their zoning ordinances. In this chapter, we examine the relationship between craft breweries and zoning in three American cities. We seek to highlight the differences and similarities that craft breweries face in seeking optimal locations, in the face of zoning challenges.


2021 ◽  
Vol 241 ◽  
pp. 04002
Author(s):  
Yang Mei

In the face of climate change, it is urgent to transform the energy system. Germany has played an important role in the development of renewable energy. Hence, it is necessary to figure out why Germany makes structural change in its energy sector in order to have a better understand on the current situation and the future development of renewable energy. Adopting the theory of interdependence, this paper analyzes the motivation of Germany’s energy transition. It demonstrates that Germany on the one hand endeavors to reduce its energy dependence on other countries and increase other countries’ dependence on it in the field of renewable energy, on the other hand. Thereby Germany would get more advantage in international negotiation and competition. This paper reveals the principle of interdependence in energy transition, which provides a new perspective to discuss the politics of climate change.


Author(s):  
Rob White ◽  
Jasmine Yeates

Global warming is rapidly changing the physical biosphere in ways that will reverberate well into the future. This chapter explores the relationship between food and climate change. On the one hand, profit-oriented systems of food production contribute to the production of carbon emissions while simultaneously undermining the resilience of natural systems to withstand the effects of climate-related changes. On the other hand, the degradation of natural resources associated with climatic change further perpetuates the demise of existing agricultural and pastoral systems in ways that will continue to generate famine and climate-induced migrations. While climate change has global consequences, the extent of the impact varies depending on the vulnerability of particular locales, social groups and livelihoods. Diverse circumstances will give rise to a range of responses, from the continuation of unsustainable production practices and the systematic hoarding of food, through to widespread social unrest linked to food scarcity and criminality.


1993 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Karmis

AbstractThe Constitution Act, 1982 recognized certain rights for aboriginal peoples. These rights were to be identified and defined subsequently. Ten years later, after several rounds of negotiations, the question of the recognition and definition of an aboriginal right to self-government remains unresolved. Many specialists claim that the problems faced during these negotiations result from the incompatibility between the main philosophical traditions guiding the actors. Through an analysis of the relationship between the cosmology underlying the aboriginal demands on the one hand and three of the main trends in contemporary Canadian liberal political philosophy on the other hand, this article tries to shed some light on the philosophical incompatibility thesis. While a strictly individualist liberalism rejects outright the notion of collective rights and Will Kymlicka's revisionist liberal individualism limits considerably the scope of an aboriginal right to self-government, communitarian liberalism, like that of Charles Taylor, seems to provide a favourable framework for the integration of cultural co-existence with the First Nations, without repudiating its attachment to fundamental individual rights and freedoms.


1996 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 345-363
Author(s):  
Andrew Levine

Until quite recently, political philosophers routinely ignored nationalism. Nowadays, the topic is very much on the philosophical agenda. In the past, when philosophers did discuss nationalism, it was usually to denigrate it. Today, nationalism elicits generally favorable treatment. I confess to a deep ambivalence about this turn of events. On the one hand, much of what has emerged in recent work on nationalism appears to be on the mark. On the other hand, the anti- or extra-nationalist outlook that used to pervade political philosophy seems as sound today as it ever was, and perhaps even more urgent in the face of truly horrendous eruptions of nationalist hostilities in many parts of the world. What follows is an effort to grapple with this ambivalence. My aim will be to identify what is defensible in the nationalist idea and then to reflect on the flaws inherent in even the most defensible aspects of nationalist theory and practice.


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