Catholicism and the Frankfurt School

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudolf J. Siebert ◽  
◽  
Michael R. Ott ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Frankfurt School ◽  
Culture Wars ◽  
Western World ◽  
Surplus Value ◽  
Theory Of Religion ◽  
Modern Age ◽  
Alternative Future

The paper traces the development from the medieval, traditional union, through the modern disunion, toward a possible post-modern reunion of the sacred and the profane. It concentrates on the modern disunion and conflict between the religious and the secular, revelation and enlightenment, faith and autonomous reason in the Western world and beyond. It deals specifically with Christianity and the modern age, particularly liberalism, socialism and fascism of the 2Oth and the 21st centuries. The problematic inclination of Western Catholicism toward fascism, motivated by the fear of and hate against socialism and communism in the 20th century, and toward exclusive, authoritarian, and totalitarian populism and identitarianism in the 21st. century, is analyzed, compared and critiqued. Solutions to the problem are suggested on the basis of the Critical Theory of Religion and Society, derived from the Critical Theory of Society of the Frankfurt School. The critical theory and praxis should help to reconcile the culture wars which are continually produced by the modern antagonism between the religious and the secular, and to prepare the way toward post-modern, alternative Future III - the freedom of All on the basis of the collective appropriation of collective surplus value. Distribution and recognition problems are equally taken seriously.

THE DYNAMICS OF EPISTEMOLOGICAL DECOLONISATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY: TOWARDS EPISTEMIC FREEDOM

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
Academic Freedom ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Global South ◽  
Epistemic Virtue ◽  
Epistemic Dependence ◽  
Knowledge Domain ◽  
Normative Foundation ◽  
Conceptual Study

The problem of the 21st century in the knowledge domain is best rendered as the ‘epistemic line’. It cascades directly from William E B Dubois’s ‘colour line’ which haunted the 20th century and provoked epic struggles for political decolonisation. The connection between the ‘colour line’ and the ‘epistemic line’ is in the racist denial of the humanity of those who became targets of enslavement and colonisation. The denial of humanity automatically disqualified one from epistemic virtue. This conceptual study, therefore explores in an overview format, how Africa in particular and the rest of the Global South in general became victims of genocides, epistemicides, linguicides, and culturecides. It delves deeper into the perennial problems of ontological exiling of the colonised from their languages, cultures, names, and even from themselves while at the same time highlighting how the colonised refused to succumb to the ‘silences’ and fought for epistemic freedom. The article introduces such useful analytical concepts as ‘epistemic freedom’ as opposed to ‘academic freedom’; ‘provincialisation’; ‘deprovincialisation’; ‘epistemological decolonisation’; ‘intellectual extroversion’; and ‘epistemic dependence’. It ends with an outline of five-ways-forward in the African struggles for epistemic freedom predicated on (i) return to the base/locus of enunciation; (ii) shifting the geo-and bio-of knowledge/moving the centre; (iii) decolonising the normative foundation of critical theory; (iv) rethinking thinking itself; and finally (v) learning to unlearn in order to relearn.

3. History and heroes

2018 ◽  
pp. 46-82
Author(s):  
Ben Hutchinson
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Literature ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Culture Wars ◽  
Empire Building ◽  
Jewish Diaspora ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Western Perspective

Seen from a Western perspective, the history of comparative literature can be divided into three categories: how European literatures have been compared inside Europe; how European literature has been compared with other cultures outside Europe; and how literatures outside Europe have been compared among themselves. ‘History and heroes’ explains how from the empire building of the 19th century, via the Jewish diaspora of the 20th century, to the postcolonial culture wars of the 21st century, the problems and prejudices of comparative literature have formed a cultural counterpart to the problems and prejudices of modernity. To understand its history, in this spirit, is to understand why it matters.

scholarly journals Rethinking the message of the church in the 21st century: An amalgamation between science and religion

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk G. Van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Western World ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
Theological Training

Throughout its history, Christianity has stood in a dichotomous relation to the various philosophical movements or eras (pre-modernism, modernism, postmodernism and post-postmodernism) that took on different faces throughout history. In each period, it was the sciences that influenced, to a great extent, the interpretation and understanding of the Bible. Christianity, however, was not immune to influences, specifically those of the Western world. This essay reflects briefly on this dichotomy and the influence of Bultmann’s demythologising of the kerygma during the 20th century. Also, the remythologising (Vanhoozer) of the church’s message as proposed for the 21st century no more satisfies the critical Christian thinkers. The relationship between science and religion is revisited, albeit from a different perspective as established over the past two decades as to how the sciences have been pointed out more and more to complement theology. This article endeavours to evoke the church to consider the fundamental contributions of the sciences and how it is going to incorporate the sciences into its theological training and message to the world.

scholarly journals Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of Politeness

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Sonam Pelden ◽  
Elizabeth Reid Boyd ◽  
Madalena Grobbelaar ◽  
Kwadwo Adusei-Asante ◽  
Lucy Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Social Ethics ◽  
Gender Politics ◽  
Western World ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Polite Society ◽  
Conservative Post ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Race And Culture

Are there ladies and gentlemen in the 21st century? Do we need them? In the 20th century, lady became particularly unpopular with second wave feminists, who preferred ‘woman’. Gentleman was seen as similarly politically incorrect: class, race and culture bound. Following previous research on the word lady, we explore here some current evocations and debates around these words. We consider how the more casual, etymologically gendered term ‘guy’ has been utilized for men and women, and how it functions to reflect and obscure gender. While the return of the lady might be considered a consumer fad, a neo-conservative post-feminist backlash, or nostalgia for an elite ‘polite society’, it also offers an opportunity for a deeper discussion about civility as part of a broader conversation that is gaining impetus in the Western world. Politeness is personal and political. Whilst evidence for a comeback of the gentleman is limited, we critically consider the re-emergence of the lady as reflecting a deeper desire for applied sexual and social ethics. Such gender ethics have global, social and cultural ramifications that we ought not to underestimate. The desire for a culture of civility is gaining momentum as we are increasingly confronted with the violent consequences of a culture without it.

Philosophy Educating Humanity

1998 ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Carl Becker
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
World View ◽  
Western World ◽  
Common Values ◽  
Asian Philosophy ◽  
The World ◽  
Western Ideals

The 20th century may be considered the ultimate expression of Western ideals and philosophy: "civilized" humanity's attempt to dominate "uncivilized" peoples and nature. The 21st century soberingly proclaims the shortsightedness and ultimate unsustainability of this philosophy. This paper shows the limitations of a modern Western world-view, and the practical applicability of ideas to be found in Asian philosophies. In outline, the contrast may be portrayed by the following overgeneralizations: (1) From a linear to a cyclical world view; (2) from divine salvation to karmic necessity; (3) from human dominion over nature to human place within nature; (4) from the perfectibility of humanity and the world through science; (5) from atomistic mechanistic individualism to organic interdependence; (6) from competition to cooperation; (7) from glorification of wealth to respect for humanhood; (8) from absolute cultural values to necessary common values. Each of these attitudes is examined in light of what we now know about the world in the 21st century, as Asian philosophy is found applicable to address future problems.

scholarly journals Polskie miasta i wsie XXI wieku. Zacieranie się granic, języków i kultur

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halina Kurek
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
English Language ◽  
Western World ◽  
Big Cities ◽  
Polish Culture ◽  
The Village ◽  
The City ◽  
Second World

Polish Cities and Villages in the 21st Century: Blurring of the Borders, Languages and CulturesUp to the middle of the 20th century, big cities, as economic units and communities that were characterized by the very varied professional and social structure of their inhabitants, marked not only administrative borders but also clear linguistic and cultural borders for the traditional monolithic village. After the Second World War, due to various socio-economic processes which resulted in big cities absorbing the surrounding villages, the administrative borders also started to change. Migrations from villages to cities and improved education began the process of blurring cultural and linguistic borders in the 20th century. At the beginning of the 21st century, the phenomenon of linguistic-cultural unification was facilitated by the trend of inhabitants of big cities starting to move to suburban villages. However, the rapid intensification of this phenomenon was mainly influenced by the common availability of the internet. The English language and the American style of culture became the factors that unified the linguistic and cultural differences between Polish cities and villages. The first quarter of the 21st century marked the beginning of the process of blurring not only the cultural differences between the city and the village, but also the virtual borders between Polish culture and the foreign culture of the Western world. Polskie miasta i wsie XXI wieku. Zacieranie się granic, języków i kulturDo połowy XX wieku wielkie miasta jako organizmy gospodarcze i zbiorowości charakteryzujące się bardzo zróżnicowaną strukturą zawodową i społeczną ludności, oddzielały od monolitycznej, tradycyjnej wsi nie tylko granice administracyjne, lecz także wyraźne granice językowe i kulturowe. Po II wojnie światowej na skutek różnorodnych procesów społeczno-ekonomicznych, powodujących między innymi wchłanianie przez wielkie miasta okolicznych wsi, zmianom zaczęły też ulegać granice administracyjne. Migracje ze wsi do miast i wzrost poziomu wykształcenia ludności napływowej rozpoczęły w drugiej połowie XX wieku proces zacierania się również granic kulturowych i językowych. Na początku XXI wieku zjawisko unifikacji językowo-kulturowej znacznie przyspieszyła moda na osiedlanie się w podmiejskich wsiach mieszkańców dużych miast. Gwałtowne nasilenie się omawianego procesu nastąpiło jednak przede wszystkim na skutek powszechnej dostępności Internetu. Język angielski i kultura w stylu amerykańskim stały się czynnikami unifikującymi zróżnicowania językowe i kulturowe polskich miast i wsi. W pierwszej ćwierci XXI wieku rozpoczął się więc proces zacierania się granic językowo-kulturowych pomiędzy miastem a wsią, a także wirtualnych granic pomiędzy rodzimą kulturą polską a obcą kulturą świata zachodniego.

scholarly journals Stadier på sociologiens vej. Søren Kierkegaard og samfundsvidenskaberne

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjørn Thomassen
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Soren Kierkegaard ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Frankfurt School ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Theory Formation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Classical Sociology

Denne artikel skitserer Kierkegaards indflydelse på sociologien i det 20. århundrede. Med udgangspunkt i den ungarske sociolog Arpad Szakolczais metodiske begreb om sociologiens ”baggrundsfigurer”, argumenteres det, at Kierkegaard ofte har udøvet en ”skjult”, men afgørende indflydelse på en lang række tænkere inden for den klassiske sociologi, såsom Simmel, Mannheim, Weber, Adorno og Frankfurterskolen. I forlængelse heraf argumenteres det, at Foucaults sene forfatterskab udviklede sig i en intim dialog med Kierkegaards skrifter. Derfor bør Kierkegaard også anerkendes som en nøglefigur for den kritiske teori. Artiklen har som overordnet mål at klargøre Kierkegaards relevans for den sociologiske teoridannelse og den nutidige samfundsforståelse. ENGELSK ABSTRACT: Bjørn Thomassen: Stages on Sociology’s Way: Søren Kierkegaard and the Social Sciences The aim of this article is to ascertain Kierkegaard’s relevance for sociological theory formation as well as diagnostic understandings of contemporary society. The article surveys Kierkegaard’s influence on sociology in the 20th century. Drawing on the Hungarian sociologist Arpad Szakolczai’s methodological concept of ”background figures”, it argues that Kierkegaard has often exercised a ”hidden” but decisive influence on a series of thinkers in classical sociology, including Simmel, Mannheim, Weber, Adorno and the Frankfurt school. The article also argues that Foucault’s late authorship developed in an intimate dialogue with Kierkegaard’s writings. For these reasons, Kierkegaard must also be recognized as a key figure for critical theory. Keywords: Kierkegaard, Mannheim, Simmel, Weber, Foucault, critique.

scholarly journals Animism: Comparing Durkheim and Chidester’s analyses of EB Tylor’s theory of religion

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan M. Strijdom
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Theory Of Religion ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Sociological Explanation ◽  
Shed Light

The purpose of this research study was to compare the analyses of the anthropologist Edward Tylor’s animist theory of religion in the work of two major scholars of religion. At the beginning of the 20th century, Durkheim refuted Tylor’s classical explanation of the origin of religion, before he would proceed to develop his own sociological explanation. At the turn of the 21st century, from a postcolonial South African location, David Chidester offered a critical analysis of the triple mediation under colonial and imperial conditions that made Tylor’s evolutionary theory possible. By foregrounding definitions, making arguments explicit and comparing these two assessments, the two analyses shed light on each other as well as allowed us to view the issue of animism in a new light. This article concluded by highlighting points that emerged and need continuing attention in the academic study of religion.Contribution: This article, as part of a collection on re-readings of major theorists of religion, offers a comparison of Durkheim and Chidester’s analyses of Tylor’s classical animist theory of religion. By comparison, the analyses shed light on each other and on the theory of animism itself, highlighting critical issues that deserve the continuing focus of students of religion.

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