Freedom's right : the social foundations of democratic life
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Freedom's right : the social foundations of democratic life
(New directions in critical theory)
Columbia University Press, c2014
- : cloth
- : [pbk.]
- Other Title
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Das Recht der Freiheit
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Note
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: cloth ISBN 9780231162463
Description
Theories of justice often fixate on purely normative, abstract principles unrelated to real-world situations. The philosopher and theorist Axel Honneth addresses this disconnect, and constructs a theory of justice derived from the normative claims of Western liberal-democratic societies and anchored in morally legitimate laws and institutionally established practices. Honneth's paradigm-which he terms "a democratic ethical life"-draws on the spirit of Hegel's Philosophy of Right and his own theory of recognition, demonstrating how concrete social spheres generate the tenets of individual freedom and a standard for what is just. Using social analysis to re-found a more grounded theory of justice, he argues that all crucial actions in Western civilization, whether in personal relationships, market-induced economic activities, or the public forum of politics, share one defining characteristic: they require the realization of a particular aspect of individual freedom. This fundamental truth informs the guiding principles of justice, enabling a wide-ranging reconsideration of its nature and application.
Table of Contents
ForewordIntroduction: A Theory of Justice as an Analysis of SocietyPart I. Historical Background: The Right to Freedom1. Negative Freedom and the Social Contract2. Reflexive Freedom and Its Conception of Justice3. Social Freedom and the Doctrine of Ethical LifeTransition: The Idea of Democratic Ethical LifePart II. The Possibility of Freedom4. Legal Freedom5. Moral FreedomPart III. The Reality of Freedom6. Social FreedomNotesIndex
- Volume
-
: [pbk.] ISBN 9780231162470
Description
Theories of justice often fixate on purely normative, abstract principles unrelated to real-world situations. The philosopher and theorist Axel Honneth addresses this disconnect, and constructs a theory of justice derived from the normative claims of Western liberal-democratic societies and anchored in morally legitimate laws and institutionally established practices. Honneth's paradigm-which he terms "a democratic ethical life"-draws on the spirit of Hegel's Philosophy of Right and his own theory of recognition, demonstrating how concrete social spheres generate the tenets of individual freedom and a standard for what is just. Using social analysis to re-found a more grounded theory of justice, he argues that all crucial actions in Western civilization, whether in personal relationships, market-induced economic activities, or the public forum of politics, share one defining characteristic: they require the realization of a particular aspect of individual freedom. This fundamental truth informs the guiding principles of justice, enabling a wide-ranging reconsideration of its nature and application.
Table of Contents
Foreword Introduction: A Theory of Justice as an Analysis of Society Part I. Historical Background: The Right to Freedom 1. Negative Freedom and the Social Contract 2. Reflexive Freedom and Its Conception of Justice 3. Social Freedom and the Doctrine of Ethical Life Transition: The Idea of Democratic Ethical Life Part II. The Possibility of Freedom 4. Legal Freedom 5. Moral Freedom Part III. The Reality of Freedom 6. Social Freedom Notes Index
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