This article analyses recent social, cultural and political developments in Latin America, with special reference to the `modernity/coloniality' project, as well as offering an alternative sociological interpretation of the contemporary subcontinent. It analyses in particular Walter Mignolo's work as the main expression of that `post/decolonial' project, a general interpretive effort that reflects actual social changes but offers misguided theoretical and political perspectives. The article then proposes a discussion of modernity as a global civilization which is now unfolding its third phase, (...) characterized by greater complexity and pluralism. In addition it argues that modernity should be seen as a two-pronged phenomenon, featuring not only domination but also emancipation. Against the reification of modernity, the article suggests that we see it as woven by multiple and contingent modernizing moves. (shrink)

Some of the most promising advances in recent social and sociological theory have happened in connection with historical sociology, including the ‘multiple’ or ‘entangled’ modernity as well as the civilizational approaches, despite their several problems. This article critically resumes this debate, proposing specific conceptualizations of civilization and modernity, at the global level, as well as of regions. Multidimensionality and collective subjectivities and modernizing moves cut across the whole text. The discussion starts from a specific analysis of Latin American modernity, including (...) the criticism of some recent interpretations. It then moves into more general conceptual dimensions, taking Latin America in unitary terms and as a unit of analysis, regardless of its relative internal heterogeneity, and placing of the subcontinent within a comparative view of, in particular, a third, contemporary phase of modernity, vis-à-vis China, India, Africa and other civilizational coordinates. (shrink)

Offering a contemporary perspective on the theory of modernity that differentiates it from its predecessors, this reconstruction has been expanded to include a fourth instrumental aspect. In addition to the recognition of the three parts of traditional modernity—freedom, equality, and solidarity—that follow the basic ideas of the constitutional revolutions of the 18th century, this updated vision introduces responsibility. Concerning itself with what the sociology of development, risk, and ecological crisis have added to these classical ideas, the addition of the fourth (...) part, responsibility, seeks to recognize the experiences of successive eras, and the 20th century in particular. (shrink)

Culture has been at the core of many recent developments in the social sciences, particularly after the so-called ‘linguistic turn’. This has also been seeping into discussions about the relation between culture and politics. The present paper proposes a specific theoretical approach in this respect. It mobilizes Castoriadis’s concept of the ‘imaginary’, as well as those of ‘collective subjectivity’ and ‘social creativity’. It also makes use of the rich case of ‘populism’, more generally, and Peronism, more specifically, so as to (...) make clear its workings in a sociological strategy that unfolds in both the theoretical and the empirically-oriented domains. The paper offers an alternative to Alexander’s and Laclau’s approaches to culture and politics. (shrink)

Weber's piece on the development of the north-European Western city has not commanded attention in the recent theoretical literature. This article argues that it can however provide fresh insights into some key problems of Weber's diagnosis of modernity and into his general sociological theory, especially as to his theory of action and creativity. A more open-ended conception of modernity can be gained from its analysis, which is more compatible with Weber's own methodological assumptions. A different relationship between freedom and rationality (...) may be derived as a theoretical and political consequence from the discussion of The City. Key Words: collective subjectivity • creativity • freedom • modernity • rationalization • Weber • Western city. (shrink)

Universalism and particularism have become poles of modern social thought and lead to distinct definitions of democracy, citizenship, and social policy. Challenging Habermas and the Habermasians, this article argues that democracy can never be identified with domination. Meanwhile, contesting Chatterjee and Foucault, the author reaffirms citizenship and law in their various forms in relation to both bounded and unbounded serialities as the basis for democracy, beyond and despite governmentality. Latin America, and especially Brazil, with processes that check state domination and (...) have implied democratizing changes, provide the empirical focus for the discussion, albeit mediated by other countries, particularly India. (shrink)

This article develops an argument about what it defines as the ‘third phase of modernity’ and tackles, in a comparative manner, the cases of Latin America (especially Brazil), South Asia (especially India) and China. It tries to identify specific modernizing moves which imply individualizing comparisons as well as encompassing comparisons in relation to these areas and countries. It builds its argument from a few theoretical assumptions and moves in an inductive manner in order to dislocate the discussion of modernity from (...) its strong referents in the West and the conceptual definitions that stem from this. The article tries also to connect the discussion of modernity to debates about development. It proposes a multidimensional approach and analyzes the main dimensions of contemporary modernity and modernizing moves in those regions and countries. (shrink)

This article considers whether there exists today a movement of similar strength to the synthetic 'new theoretical movement' of the mid-1980s. The author argues that one main trend in sociological theory today is the notion of creativity and efforts to understand it conceptually. The contemporary growth of contingency, it is claimed, is closely related to this creative perspective. After examining Parsons's notion of 'double contingency', the article suggests that neither rationality nor normativity alone is able to dampen recognition of the (...) vicissitudes attached to both personal destinies and social evolution. The author analyses the axis of structure and action, theories of history and evolution, together with the relationship between modernity and reflexivity, in order to substantiate the claim that creativity constitutes a trend today. This trend is then related to another, the cognitive approach, and the author proposes some ideas to bring them closer. Finally, a hypothesis to explain the current stress on creativity is suggested. (shrink)

This article discusses the concepts of collective subjectivity and collective causality as an alternative to methodological individualism, structuralism and functionalism. It resumes Aristotelian issues in a realist framework and applies, by way of example, its main concepts to criticize and suggest a distinct view of capabilities"" and ""freedom"" in connection with collective subjectivity.".

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses Jacobinism and the French/Haitian revolution in its unity and diversity. It shows that the main imaginary and institutional elements of modernity – including further an...

A reflection on how to teach philosophy with the help of theatrical techniques and scenic interpretation tools, building an allegorical environment for the presentation of philosophical content. Considering Plato's explanation of the allegory of the cave, where he starts from 'appears' or 'imagines' and describes his narrative, in a complete way, in a theatrical approach to use the imagination of his listeners. And thus building a scene, a representation of what he wanted to teach his interlocutors. In addition to reflecting (...) on contemporary caves, built in the rooms of young people, who are isolated, attentive only to the images produced on cell phone and computer screens, without being sure about the veracity of the information received in these 'walls' of modern caves. Also following the approaches and paths of Deleuze and Foucault in their considerations on the constructions relevant to the study of philosophy and its learning, this article aims at this reflection as a contribution to the art of theatre, the 'teatron', the place for to see. And to see how this seeing is a metaphorical perspective, something that is also a philosophical question, both in the direct and in the metaphysical sense. In addition to being a matter of experience made possible by immersion in the world of ideas and imagination, in a reflective, pragmatic way and with a view to learning and teaching philosophy. (shrink)

Roger Garaudy é um filósofo francês que muda de uma posição inicialmente marxista para outra existencialista. A sua aproximação com o existencialismo se dá na década de 70 quando o pensador foi expulso do Partido Comunista Francês por discordar dos rumos do marxismo de então. Ao mesmo tempo ele descobre no existencialismo a chave teórica que justifica sua preocupação humanista. Da fase marxista, o filósofo preserva os elementos éticos e as preo­cupações sociais que ele transfere para sua filosofia existencial. Garaudy (...) espera com eles resol­ver os problemas de uma subjetividade que cresceu além da conta nos tempos modernos, ques­tão que lhe parece outros existencialistas não haviam ainda resolvido. Neste texto também mostramos como o filósofo considera a superação da facticidade, o que dá especificidade à sua reflexão. A complexidade e criatividade de suas formulações nos mostram uma das muitas possibilidades do existencialismo, movimento que precisamos bem balancear neste início do século XXI porque ele traduz as inseguranças e incertezas do homem do último século. (shrink)

Resenha de: Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabela normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} ORTEGA Y GASSET, José. Una interpretación de la historia universal: en torno a Toynbee . Obras Completas . v. IX. Madrid: Alianza, 1997.

Neste artigo, estudamos as características que o filósofo espanhol Ortega y Gasset atribuiu à vida. Mostramos que o essencial de sua meditação girou em torno do assunto. No entanto, o tema ganhou densidade metafísica somente no final dos anos 1920, quando suas considerações foram inseridas na tradição filosófica do ocidente. Foi quando ele apontou a insuficiência do realismo e do idealismo na abordagem do fundamento pretendido pela Filosofia e apresentou a filosofia da razão vital como um passo adiante das duas (...) grandes perspectivas filosóficas que marcaram a história da metafísica. In this article, we study the characteristics that the Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset attributed to life. We show that the essence of his meditations revolved around the subject. However, the issue gained metaphysical density only in the late 1920s, when his remarks were inserted into the philosophical tradition of the West. That is when he pointed out the failure of realism and idealism in the approach to foundations pretended by philosophy, and presented the philosophy of vital reason as a step forward from the two great philosophical perspectives that have marked the history of metaphysics. (shrink)

In this article we examine the significance of the history of philosophy in raciovitalismo of Ortega y Gasset. The philosopher does not believe that no one thinks philosophically address both current problems and past tense systems, hence the history of philosophy is a discipline of philosophy. For him, no other science in the story acquires a meaning of its development as large as in philosophy. The article also shows how, for him, creating philosophical binds to cultural moment in which it (...) was produced, indicating the importance of believing in the background of thought and shows how the thinker distinguishes the great periods of philosophy. (shrink)

Neste artigo encontra-se resumido e comentado o método de estudo da história das ideias desenvolvido por José Esteves Pereira. Mostra-se o diálogo que ele estabeleceu com nomes importantes da cultura portuguesa, como Silva Dias, Miranda Barbosa, Joaquim de Carvalho, e anglo-americana, resumida na leitura crítica e interpretação do livro The History of Ideas. An introduction to Method. Também se comenta o afastamento da chamada Nouvelle Histoire e a proximidade do método desenvolvido com aspectos da filosofia culturalista brasileira e da (...) segunda etapa do pensamento orteguiano sistematizado na tese da razão vital. Finalmente se considera a contribuição de Esteves Pereira nos estudos que fez da história das ideias em Portugal e no Brasil, destacando sua contribuição nos colóquios Antero de Quental e Tobias Barreto nas quase três décadas em que se estende esse trabalho. (shrink)

Neste artigo examinamos as teses epistemológicas marcantes do culturalismo dialéctico de Djacir Menezes. Olhada da perspectiva histórica, a evolução espiritual da humanidade, avaliada à luz do monismo dialéctico e da causação diferenciada, é o que ficou conhecido por culturalismo dialéctico.

A editora Losada publicou uma série de conferências de Karl Jaspers pronunciadas na Universidad de laBasilea a convite da Fundação Acadêmica livre e da Faculdade de História da Filosofia daquela Instituição. Esse conjunto de conferências importantes para entender como o filósofo pensava o significado da Filosofia foi reunido em livro com o título de La fe filosófica. O livro integra a coleção da editora argentina denominada Obras Maestras delPensamiento e ainda não teve edição em português. Portanto, La fe filosófica não (...) foi inicialmente concebida como livro, mas como reflexões sobre aspectos fundamentais da Filosofia e mais tarde reunidas numa obra. (shrink)

Neste trabalho examinamos o modo como Miguel Reale concebe a liberdade política e a forma como ao longo da vida a considerou. Ao pensá-la em sociedade, o pensador trata o problema como manifestação de um pensamento filosófico construído a partir do eixo subjetividade encarnada, ou circunstanciada. É este eixo que une suas posições integralistas da juventude com as posições liberais da maturidade. A questão se torna o grande desafio dos últimos trabalhos de Miguel Reale e fica para os seus herdeiros (...) intelectuais como o grande desafio do culturalismo no século XXI. (shrink)

Neste trabalho examinamos as idéias de Vicente Ferreira da Silva sobre ética e política. Partindo do entendimento de que se vivia num tempo de crise porque o homem deixou de lado suas pos­sibilidades, propõe uma rejeição ao que o sustentava: o individualismo abstrato, a fragilidade das instituições, o imanentismo, o materialismo, o tecnicismo, o positivismo, o marxismo e o autoritarismo. Com alternativa propõe uma educação que leve em conta a dimensão mítica e lúdica da vida capaz de liberar as potencialidades (...) do homem. (shrink)

Resenha de: Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabela normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} ORTEGA Y GASSET, José. Una interpretación de la historia universal: en torno a Toynbee . Obras Completas . v. IX. Madrid: Alianza, 1997.

The historical formation of Brazil is distinguished from the majority of ex-colonial nations by one factor that is especially characteristic: an intense process of ethnic and cultural mixing. The Portuguese colonisers, who, unlike the English Puritans in North America, left their families and arrived in Brazil in small groups mainly composed of men, naturally tended to pair off with the women they found available - first of all indigenous women and later African women. There was nothing in Brazil to prevent (...) this spontaneous behaviour similar to the role played in the English colonies of North America by the strength of the family group or the strict religious observance of the community. Thus from the outset Brazil tended to accept racial mixing as a de facto reality. As Gilberto Freyre correctly noted in his book Casa Grande e Senzala:They mixed happily with women of colour from the very first contacts and many mixed-race children resulted, so much so that only a few thousand men were enough to colonize vast areas and compete with the greatest and most numerous peoples as regards the extent of the colonial territory and the effectiveness of colonizing activity. (shrink)

This article examines the principal problems that affect Brazilian culturalism. An evaluation is made of this movement through an analysis made of the works presented in the Tobias Barreto Colloquy.

It is a review about a book whose abstract doesn't make sense at all.

Por originar-se de uma reunião de conferências, inicialmente publicadas em alemão com o título _DerphilosophischeGlaube_ e, em 2003, traduzidas pelo editor espanhol, o livro não tem o formato propriamente de um livro. Falta-lhe não somente o aspecto formal mas uma unidade bem alinhavada. Contudo, percebe-se uma continuidade nas conferências e um esforço de aprofundamento das questões propostas. Da primeira à última o filósofoquer esclarecer o que é a fé filosófica numa verdade transcendente. Jaspers a apontacomo a marca da Filosofia em (...) sua busca do fundamento e, especificamente na última, considera os seus desafios e riscos contemporâneos. E destaca numa das conferências o homem, grande tema da filosofia contemporânea, propondo abordá-lo por inteiro. Nesse empreendimento trata do homem para além de seu componente material e vital, tendo por mais importante a liberdade e a construção histórica. Com construção original da atividade filosófica, apresentada como abertura ao transcendente nos limites do fenômeno,Jaspers aproxima, em síntese criativa, a noção metafísica do ser da filosofia transcendental de Kant. Essas duas perspectivas foram por Kant contrapostas.Jaspers também pensa a realidade da tensão que é estar no fenômeno, mas aberto ao que está além do seu limite. E para falar dessa tensão entre o aqui e o além, ele cunha o conceito de englobante para designar de onde brota essa tensão. Englobante ou abarcador é de onde provém a consciência e o objeto na consciência intencional. O seu resultado é o objetivável, mas a inspiração é transcendente. Não se deixa de enxergar nessas análises a influência da tradição neokantiana e fenomenológica que marcavam a filosofia alemã na primeira metade do século passado. É, nessa perspectiva, que ele retoma o valor de verdade total, discute o significado de tradição filosófica, reavalia a ideia de progresso na Filosofia e na Ciência diferenciando-as, esclarece a importância da comunicação da verdade como forma de livrá-la do misticismo e obscurecimento. A fazer tal avaliação da razão humana e do valor do autoconhecimento apresenta uma reflexão nova e soluções inovadoras. Também foi fundamental o propósito de retomar a discussão kantiana do problema do conhecimento, ampliando a investigação para além da lógica ou da analítica de linguagem para onde a conduzia o neopositivismo. A verdade, portanto, esclarece não é apenas um encadeamento lógico ou uma relação entre signos. Essa é apenas uma das formas pelas quais a verdade aparece. Ao dialogar com a fé revelada ele não se fecha ao que considera fundamental, isto é, a exigência absoluta da moral mosaica e o caminhar da verdade pela história do Deus Bíblico. Porémele diferencia a fé na revelaçãoda fé filosófica, que não abre mão do esforço racional e nem vai para além dos limites da razão. Nessa obra onde se apresentam considerações amplas sobre Religião, Filosofia, Ciência e até sobre Estética, falta a noção de cultura capaz de articular esses esforços humanos que o filósofo considera fundamentais no desvendamento da verdade. Contudo, ficam esclarecidos os conceitos de Filosofia e o desafio de pensar o sentido da existência para livrar o homem do auto esquecimento, inconsciência alimentada pelo mundo da técnica. Essas conferências pelos comentários acima apresentados merecem ser estudadas pelos interessados na filosofia contemporânea e, em especial, pelos que se dedicam à fenomenologia existencial. No livro encontramos a exposição dessa filosofia por um de seus mais notáveis representantes. (shrink)

O livro de Ortega y Gasset foi escrito em quatorze lições às quais o editor espanhol agregou dois apêndices, que haviam sido inicialmente publicados, separadamente, em 1965, na Revista do Ocidente. Sua origem foram os manuscritos deixados pelo filósofo e usados num curso ministrado em 1932/33, na Universidade de Madrid, cujo título oficial era Princípios de metafísica segundo a razão vital. O curso reúne as meditações de Ortega y Gasset como professor de metafísica naquela Universidade e insere na tradição ocidental (...) um pensamento original sobre o problema metafísico que ele desenvolveu em numerosos trabalhos, desde 1910. (shrink)

This book investigates modern global civilization, offering an alternative to post-colonial theories and the "multiple modernities" approach (as well as the civilizational theory linked to it). It argues that modernity has become a global civilization that is heterogeneous and intertwined with other civilizations, and also aims at a renewal of critical theory that is not US-centric and Eurocentric, focusing instead on China, South Asia (India) and Latin America (Brazil). Dealing with the themes of centre-periphery relations, complexity (including culture and religion), (...) democracy and emancipatory possibilities, this book is based on general theoretical ideas such as collective subjectivity, the interplay of memory and creativity, and the concept of "modernizing moves," so as to deal with historical contingency. (shrink)

Introduction -- Vicissitudes and possibilities of critical theory today -- Global modernity : levels of analysis and conceptual strategies -- Existential social questions, developmental trends and modernity -- History, sociology and modernity -- Realism, trend-concepts and the modern state -- Family, modernization and sociological theory -- The basic forms of social interaction -- The imaginary and politics in modernity: the trajectory -- Critical social theory and developmental trends, emancipation -- References -- Index.

The historical formation of Brazil is distinguished from the majority of ex-colonial nations by one factor that is especially characteristic: an intense process of ethnic and cultural mixing. The Portuguese colonisers, who, unlike the English Puritans in North America, left their families and arrived in Brazil in small groups mainly composed of men, naturally tended to pair off with the women they found available - first of all indigenous women and later African women. There was nothing in Brazil to prevent (...) this spontaneous behaviour similar to the role played in the English colonies of North America by the strength of the family group or the strict religious observance of the community. Thus from the outset Brazil tended to accept racial mixing as a de facto reality. As Gilberto Freyre correctly noted in his book Casa Grande e Senzala:They mixed happily with women of colour from the very first contacts and many mixed-race children resulted, so much so that only a few thousand men were enough to colonize vast areas and compete with the greatest and most numerous peoples as regards the extent of the colonial territory and the effectiveness of colonizing activity. (shrink)

The authors of Beziau and Franceschetto work with logics that have the property of not satisfying any of the formulations of the principle of non contradiction, Béziau and Franceschetto also analyze, among the three-valued logics, which of these logics satisfy this property. They prove that there exist only four of such logics, but only two of them are worthwhile to study. The language of these logics does not consider implication as a connective. However, the enrichment of a language with an (...) implication connective leads us to more interesting systems, therefore we look for one implication for these logics and we study further properties that the logics obtain when this connective is added to these systems. (shrink)