A Matter of Discourse: Community and Communication in Contemporary Philosophies

by Amós Nascimento (Editor)

Overview

First published in 1998. The emphasis upon differences, plurality and multiculturalism has led to an outpouring of information that has been interpreted by theories such as pragmatism, communitarianism, feminism, postmodern discourse and liberation ethics. Up to now, these issues have been seen as particular and external objects for theoretical discussion. This book goes to the heart of the matter and opens promising avenues for further philosophical reflection on these topics. Having the conception of communication in discourse theory as point of departure, scholars of distinct philosophical backgrounds move in and out of different contexts to offer a first-hand and in-depth account of the above positions in their dialogue with discourse theory. By establishing a web, they connect distinct issues that have been dealt with only separately thus far, without losing sight of differences. In the end, A Matter of Discourse shows that pluralism and multiculturalism are to be found within philosophy itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138608863
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Series:	Routledge Revivals
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.62(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

List of contributors vii

Acknowledgments ix

Preface xi

Communities, contexts and challenges to discourse theory 1

1 The fact of pluralism and the multicultural quest for community Amós Nascimento 3

2 Which person? Whose community? On the controversy between liberalism and communitarian ism Rainer Forst 27

Plurality and cognitivism in light of Anglo American pragmatism 53

3 Pluralism and universalism in discourse ethics Cristina Lafont 55

4 Are moral concerns irreducible to ethical concerns? Habermas and the cognitive content of morality Wilson P. Mendonça 79

The postmodern discourse on the Other in the French context 107

5 Lyotard's conception of conflicting claims to validity and its insufficient Kantianism Dietmar Köveker 109

6 The limits of solidarity: Discourse ethics, Levinas, and the moral point of view Max Pensky 129

The concrete other as subject in feminist perspective 151

7 Toward a model of self-identity: Habermas and Kristeva Allison Weir 153

8 Subjectivity in process: Kristeva, discourse theory, and the trials of psychoanalysis Marianna Papastephanou 175

Liberation, globalization and the Latin American context 195

9 Discourse and liberation: The claims and contexts of two types of universalistic ethics Hans Schelkshorn 197

10 Modernity and postmodernity as challenges to discourse ethics An ethics of global co-responsibility for an age of suspect foundationalism and rhetorical relativism Eduardo Mendieta 219

Index 243

Editorial Reviews

’This excellent collection of essays shows the productivity of attempts to situate discourse theory in various philosophical contexts, from analytic moral and political philosophy to feminism, postmodernity, and the philosophy of liberation. Thereby it builds bridges across a plurality of traditions and approaches, and furthermore, an important cross-cultural discourse emerges in critical theory.’ Prof. Dr Axel Honneth, Institut für Philosophie, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main ’...includes excellent work from a new philosophical generation (European, North American and Latin American)...’ Professor Dr Enrique Dussel, Association for Philosophy and Liberation, Mexico ’...the general themes are pluralism and multiculturalism in society and philosophy...the feminist perspective...the Latin American context’ Bibliographie De la Philosophie

From the Publisher