Search results

Gesellschaftskritik, or social philosophy that aims to provide firm criticism of pathological social practices, requires normatively grounded evaluative principles. In this article, we assess different possibilities for such principles with focus on a model that takes specific patterns of intersubjective interaction as its point of reference. We argue that in order to understand the full significance of this 'intersubjective turn' for social philosophy, and to strengthen the normative foundation of social philosophy, we need to distinguish several levels of intersubjectivity and, in particular, focus on the somewhat neglected level of primary intersubjectivity. The article will discuss the account of primary intersubjectivity in Honneth's work. We show that Honneth's account runs into difficulties, and drawing on recent findings in developmental psychology, we suggest a rethinking of elementary recognition in terms of 'affective proximity'. This both renders the account less susceptible to criticism and provides a normative perspective that can effortlessly enter into interdisciplinary collaboration.

The purpose of this paper is to reconstruct and evaluate, among other issues, Hawtrey's social philosophy.Hawtrey's system as a whole is composed of the two distinct and yet interrelated subsystems: philosophy and social philosophy. The former has three components: the theory of evolution and rationalization; the theory of aspects; and Moorean ethics. The latter has two components: his conception of society in general; and his perception of capitalistic economy as one type of society.We then examine three problematic elements connected with Hawtrey's system: epistemology in Hawtrey and Moore; plus products and the market; and the ruler and the public.

The relationship between the concepts of «complex system» and «complex environment», which are relevant in modern socio-philosophical knowledge, is investigated. It has been substantiated that in modern conditions of the development of society, which are characterized by variability, non-linearity and complexity, a new research paradigm develops in social philosophy, which allows not only to introduce a systemic approach, but also gives a different interpretation of social phenomena. As a result, the systematic approach has been complemented and, even to some extent, is supplanted by the emerging synergistic approach, which presents social reality as a process of continuous changes and phase transitions. The emerging new view on social reality as an unstable integrity has confirmed that it is necessary to study events and processes. In particular, from the standpoint of psychosynergy (I.V. Yershova-Babenko), an understanding of the integrity and complexity of the system takes the form of a conceptual model of the "whole as a whole / whole-in-whole". Therefore, the concept of «complex system» in social philosophy can be replaced by the concept of «complex environment», which indicates that emphasizes the dynamic characteristics of social reality, indicates its procedurality and disequilibrium.Also there was an appeal to the subject of social reality, which is a person. Focusing on the person and his social activities allows us to consider social reality as a "psychodimensioned environment" (the term of I.V. Ershova-Babenko), implying that it develops and transforms as a result of human mental activity, group, community of people in different scales of space and time, as well as the scale of individual cultures and civilizations.The use of the psycho-synergetic interpretation of the position of I. Prigogine on the non-equilibrium phase transition of a new type in the semantic field of social philosophy is also shown. For the first time, the phenomenon of "unaccounted subject / product", related to the analysis of social reality, was used.

Few thinkers have made such significant contribution to social and political thinking over the last three decades as Axel Honneth. His theory of recognition has rejuvenated the political vocabulary and allowed Critical Theory to move beyond Habermas. Beyond Communication is the first full-scale study of Honneth's work, covering the whole range of his writings, from his first sociological articles to the latest publications. By relocating the theory of recognition within the tradition of European social theory, the book exposes the full depth and breadth of Honneth's philosophical intervention. The book will be an indispensable resource for anyone interested in contemporary philosophy and the social sciences