Political Views

Understanding the true nature of the human being is no doubt a sine qua non for developing an ideology for a desirable praxis. This paper examines the pitfalls of Marxist-Leninist scientific socialism and African socialism. It argues that a critical analysis of both ideologies reveals a lack of clear understanding of the nature of man by their proponents. An exhaustive account of the nature of man must explain self-consciousness, the urge to avoid pain, the desire for a purposeful life and (...) for freedom from external interference, the passion for distinction, and, most importantly, the desire to acquire personal property. The paper further contends that socialism, does not allow room for the pursuit of personal ambition. This accounts for the failure in the implementation of both Marxist-Leninist socialism and African socialism. The paper avers that there is need to understand that the human being cannot simply be seen as a socio-economic or historical being; rather, consideration of the intrinsic elements which constitute the true nature of personhood is quintessential to achieving awell-ordered society. (shrink)

In 11 essays (many of which have appeared elsewhere though some only in French, together with new material prepared especially for this volume), the authors cover the main, and some of the more controversial, aspects of Weil's (1909-1943) ...

Lenin's "Abstract of Hegel's Science of Logic" and his other writings on Hegel during the 1914-15 period remain shrouded in obscurity, in part because this aspect of Lenin's thought is at variance with official Marxist-Leninist doctrine. Lenin's Hegel Notebooks show a break with his earlier more crudely materialist work, anticipating that of later Hegelian Marxists such as Lukács, Korsch, Lefebvre, and Dunayevskaya. Lenin appropriates for himself many key Hegelian categories such as subjectivity, self-movement, contradiction, and even some aspects of idealism, (...) while rejecting much previous Marxism as "vulgar materialist." However, his failure after the 1917 Revolution to make his encounter with Hegel public and his tendency in the Hegel Notebooks to privilege practice over theory have left an ambivalent legacy. Nonetheless, Lenin's effort to reconceptualize Marxism by returning to Hegel was a serious one, offering us some important insights for today. (shrink)

Although contemporary liberal political philosophy does not provide an explicit account of the nature and value of public education, it nevertheless contains the moral and conceptual resources to do so. In this dissertation, I develop a specifically liberal justification of public education by examining the relationships which obtain between civic virtue, cultural membership, education and citizenship--relationships which are at the core of liberal political morality. I analyse how each of these concepts relates to our most fundamental ethical interests, and specifically (...) our essential interest in living a truly good life. The central claim of the dissertation is that education is the pre-eminent value for the realization of a liberal citizenry. That is, I argue that education is a necessary condition of what is required for citizens to live lives of true meaning and worth, to live lives that are good in fact. Education is thus a "primary good"--an all-purpose means for the living of a good life--and ought to be recognized as such by liberal theories of justice and equality. By granting education status as a "primary good" within a liberal theory of justice and equality, liberals would be in a position to articulate a powerful and compelling justification of public education, a vital project for contemporary liberal political morality. (shrink)

If, for Marx and Marxists, communism would be the most ideal of human societies, this is because it would make possible the maximum use of human and natural resources to the equal benefit of all. This means that, under communism, human beings would ‘realize themselves’. In direct and pointed contrast to capitalism wherein all individuals lead alienated, stunted, and fragmented lives, communism for Marx would provide the preconditions for a flowering, a full and final development of all human potentialities.

Max Weber, by 1920, had a well-defined and elaborated notion of domination but did not complete a theory of domination. While the concept of power is amorphous, organised power relations that are structured by a relation of command and obedience may be theorised as a relation of domination. Yet, throughout the 20th century, sociologists have not completed the task. The following is a concise but systematic elaboration of a theory of domination. The text has the following headings: Preparing a theory (...) of domination - Definition of the term domination and separation from the concept of power; Domination is a relation of command and obedience from which an organisation emerges; Domination requires recognition or, else, commands lack legitimacy; The legitimacy of domination confers authority on the commander: Continuing domination requires administration; Organisation facilitates mobilisation in collective action. The text has been written in German so as to engage Max Weber as fully as possible. (shrink)