Social Philosophy

Foundations for Moral Relativism

by J. David Velleman

I attempt to explain the normative force and moral content of what are nevertheless independent, mutually... more I attempt to explain the normative force and moral content of what are nevertheless independent, mutually incompatible, but equally valid moralities.

Global Liberal Governance: Biopolitics, Security and War

by Adriana Ruelle Gómez

Misyurov D.A. Dialectical formulas based on the binary notation as the development formulas // Credo New. 2012. №2

by Dmitry Misyurov

The article suggests dialectical formulas based on the binary notation as the development formulas: formula with... more The article suggests dialectical formulas based on the binary notation as the development formulas: formula with dominant and the non-dominant elements; universal formula; formula with symbolic weight of elements; tautological formula. For example, it suggests an opportunity to use the dialectical formulas for modeling and artificial intelligence creation, etc.

"La oposición de pasiones y su superación en el trato social según Hume: Familia, castidad y cortesía

by Ana Marta González

Themata. Revista de Filosofía, nº 44, 2011, pp. 308-325, 2011. ISSN: 0212-8365.

How Desires Might Matter: The Veto Power of Desire

by Kate Manne

Draft paper, revised version of a thesis chapter.

2009, « Habitus, Freedom and Reflexivity », in Theory and Psychology Volume 19, no. 6, pp. 728-755.

by Mathieu Hilgers

The question of freedom is recurrent in the theory of habitus. In this paper I propose that the notion of freedom is... more The question of freedom is recurrent in the theory of habitus. In this paper I propose that the notion of freedom is an essential and necessary component for the coherence of the analyses which mobilize habitus both in terms of their theoretical articulation and in terms of their grounding in empirical reality. This argument can seem surprising considering that the theory of habitus has often been accused of being deterministic. Yet I show that, from an epistemological point of view, habitus theory is not deterministic. Bourdieu’s treatment of this concept implies at least three principles that exclude determinism: (1) the production of an infinite number of behaviors from a limited number of principles, (2) permanent mutation, and (3) the intensive and extensive limits of sociological understanding. After identifying and describing these principles, I show the reason for their incompatibility with a deterministic perspective and consider their implications for the corresponding model of action. I illustrate this analysis by a discussion of Loïc Wacquant’s carnal sociology of the pugilistic universe which reveals why it is essential to understand and explain the relation between habitus and freedom.

2011, Autochthony as Capital in a Global Age, in Theory, Culture & Society , vol. 28 no. 1 34-54

by Mathieu Hilgers

For a little over a decade we have been witnessing a profusion of discourses on autochthony — that is, an original... more For a little over a decade we have been witnessing a profusion of discourses on autochthony — that is, an original belonging to a group or territory — in many parts of the world. A global approach to this question first requires a look at the principle of autochthony and its genealogy. Starting from African examples, places of prolific expression of the phenomenon, this article shows how autochthony plays the role of capital that can be invested, valued and profited from. The structure of this capital carries within itself the seeds of conflict. The article analyses how the stabilization of its value requires the execution of specific strategies. Among these strategies, I will focus in greater depth on voting. The relationship between capital, autochthony and elections will thus bring us back to debates that animate political science: in new municipalities, autochthony as capital is at the heart of candidate selection, suffrage, political participation and citizenship.

2011 The three anthropological approaches to neoliberalism, in International Social Science Journal, Vol 61 (202) : 351–364.

by Mathieu Hilgers

International Social Science Journal, Volume 61, Issue 202, 2011: 351–364.

For around fifteen years now, anthropology has been engaged in the study of neoliberalism. What contribution does the... more For around fifteen years now, anthropology has been engaged in the study of neoliberalism. What contribution does the discipline have to make to a debate largely monopolized by economics and political science? To answer this question, the present article returns to the major texts and highlights the three perspectives from which anthropology has approached neoliberal expansion: culturalist, systemic and the approach based on governmentality. Each has its own epistemological presuppositions and a specific conception of anthropology, globalization and neoliberalism. The article highlights the relevance and limitations of these approaches.

2012, « The Historicity of the Neoliberal State », in Social Anthropology, volume 20, n° 1, pp. 80-94

by Mathieu Hilgers

Debate with Loic Wacquant “Three Steps to a Historical Anthropology of Actually Existing Neoliberalism." Social Anthropology, 20, 1, with responses in the next issue: Jamie Peck, Nick Theodore, and Neil Brenner, Stephen Collier, Daniel Goldstein, Johanna Bockman, Don Kalb...

What symbols

by Dmitry Misyurov

This article contains 12 questions about the symbols. What are your thoughts in response? This article contains 12 questions about the symbols. What are your thoughts in response?

Social Uncertainty & Global Risks

by Michalis Lianos

A chapter on power and the environment in the postindustrial society.

Dooyeweerd's Conception of Societal Sphere Sovereignty (class paper)

by Gregory Baus

Abraham Kuyper's conception of societal sphere sovereignty has received various interpretations. Herman Dooyeweerd's... more Abraham Kuyper's conception of societal sphere sovereignty has received various interpretations. Herman Dooyeweerd's interpretation of sphere sovereignty develops Kuyper's conception in terms of its being rooted in and motivated from a distinctly Christian religious orientation, and results in a view of society that is neither individualistic, nor collectivistic. In this paper Dooyeweerd's philosophically elaborated account is examined in terms of his notions of a basic creational diversity; modality and individuality structures; societal communities; sovereignty over-against autonomy/decentralization, and subsidiarity; distinct inner structural principles, the intrinsic limit of state power.

La Soberania de las Esferas Sociales de Dooyeweerd (Spanish)

by Gregory Baus

translated by Eliel Morales

Dooyeweerd's Societal Sphere Sovereignty: A Theory Of Differentiated Responsibility

by Gregory Baus

published in 'Griffin's View: Journal of International and Comparative Law' 2006. Volume 7, number 2.

Voice from SHRAYAN_'Tales of Common People's Wisdom'_Written by Amulya Kumar Chakraborty_Posted by Pathik Basu (Bengali Version)

by Pathik Basu

Dr Amulya Kumar Chakraborty, author of this essay is a dedicated social activist, presently attached with Ramakrishna... more Dr Amulya Kumar Chakraborty, author of this essay is a dedicated social activist, presently attached with Ramakrishna Mission Lok-Siksha Parishad (presently he is 87!). Here the writer is sharing about the experiences he gathered from common people, the wisdom inherent in common people that he witnessed from close vicinity during the long tenure of his service. All the characters are real. They are matrixed as ‘common people’ by so-called elitist custom, but strange is their virtue, Dharma. This article is published in SHRAYAN's 2012 Annual Number.

Natural Right to Grow and Die in the Form of Wholeness: A Philosophical Interpretation of the Ontological Status of Brain-dead

by Masahiro Morioka

Diogenes, Vol.57, No.3 (2011):103-116.

In this paper, I would like to argue that brain-dead small children have a natural right not to be invaded by other... more In this paper, I would like to argue that brain-dead small children have a natural right not to be invaded by other people even if their organs can save the lives of other suffering patients. My basic idea is that growing human beings have the right to grow in the form of wholeness, and dying human beings also have the right to die in the form of wholeness; in other words, they have the right to be protected from outside invasion, unless they have declared their wish to abandon that right beforehand. I call this the principle of wholeness. Natural rights, which were discussed by Hobbes and Locke in the 17th century, have to be extended to include the right to grow and die in the form of wholeness in the age of scientific civilization, where peripheral human lives are being threatened by aggressive biomedicine and other advanced technologies.

POCKET ESSAY: INSTINCT, LOGIC AND FAITH

by edgar allan castro

Emotion, Individuation and Social Power in Spinoza (Talk)

by Ericka Tucker

Draft Only - This was a paper I gave at the APA Pacific in 2011. Any comments and critiques are welcome! eltucker@csupomona.edu

Cite as follows:

Tucker, Ericka. “Emotion and Individuation in Spinoza’s Social Philosophy,” Colloquium Paper, American Philosophical Association (APA) Pacific Division Meeting, San Diego, CA, April 20-23, 2011

In the contemporary literature on Spinoza’s metaphysics there is an ongoing debate about the status of individuals,... more In the contemporary literature on Spinoza’s metaphysics there is an ongoing debate about the status of individuals, and particularly about the status of the state. Such debates tend to ignore the context and the aim of Spinoza’s larger project and thus they tend to misunderstand Spinoza’s treatment of human beings and states as complex individuals. Following Hobbes in rejecting Aristotelian notions of natural sociability, Spinoza argued that the emotions were the bases of human sociability, and that they contain the seeds of both harmony and disintegration. On Spinoza’s view, creating strong political communities and free citizens, requires understanding how to organize and coordinate the emotions of individuals. For Spinoza, only in properly affectively organized political communities can ensure individual empowerment and state stability. In this paper I outline the key features of Spinoza’s theory of the emotions, their social dimension, and show these yield Spinoza’s account of the ‘best state’.

The New Euthyphro

by Kate Manne

A paper on the Williams-Parfit dialectic. A paper on the Williams-Parfit dialectic.

A brief essay on love and anarchy - Un breve ensayo sobre amor y anarquia.

by Sebastian Kno

Una actualizacion de la aproximacion de Errico Malatesta al concepto de amor en el marco de una sociedad libertaria.... more Una actualizacion de la aproximacion de Errico Malatesta al concepto de amor en el marco de una sociedad libertaria.

An update of the approach of Errico Malatesta to the concept of love in the context of a libertarian society.

Spanish-English.