Liberal universalism today

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216275%3A25210%2F18%3A39913688" target="_blank" >RIV/00216275:25210/18:39913688 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.14712/1803-8220/26_2017" target="_blank" >http://dx.doi.org/10.14712/1803-8220/26_2017</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.14712/1803-8220/26_2017" target="_blank" >10.14712/1803-8220/26_2017</a>

Result language

čeština

Original language name

Liberální universalismus dnes

Original language description

Liberal thought – especially when inspired by Kant – always had universalistic ambitions. Faith in its own philosophical dominance is a natural consequence of liberal thinking, starting with its inception during the enlightenment. However, these tendencies are deeply problematic. The relation of liberalism towards the future (postulating its “final victory”) and towards the past (adoption of ahistorical and acultural normative standpoint) is in the final analysis indefensible. However, the fact that liberal thinking cannot defend its commonplace presuppositions does not mean that it is indefensible as such. It might still be superior to other types of political regimes. The second part of the article consists of an argument that defends liberalism without its universalist ambitions. It starts from a concept of recognition and claims that liberal regimes are currently the only ones that can provide a generally acceptable recognition to their citizens. This is true not only for what is traditionally conceived as “western world”, but across the globe. The reason for this unique standing of liberal regimes is a fact (prominently defended by Charles Taylor) that people in contemporary societies do not understand their value as mediated through some external entity (tribe, church, family, nation). They perceive the source of their value as coming from “inside”. This is deeply problematic for illiberal regimes – a challenge they cannot overcome, but that liberal regimes can.

Czech name

Liberální universalismus dnes

Czech description

Liberal thought – especially when inspired by Kant – always had universalistic ambitions. Faith in its own philosophical dominance is a natural consequence of liberal thinking, starting with its inception during the enlightenment. However, these tendencies are deeply problematic. The relation of liberalism towards the future (postulating its “final victory”) and towards the past (adoption of ahistorical and acultural normative standpoint) is in the final analysis indefensible. However, the fact that liberal thinking cannot defend its commonplace presuppositions does not mean that it is indefensible as such. It might still be superior to other types of political regimes. The second part of the article consists of an argument that defends liberalism without its universalist ambitions. It starts from a concept of recognition and claims that liberal regimes are currently the only ones that can provide a generally acceptable recognition to their citizens. This is true not only for what is traditionally conceived as “western world”, but across the globe. The reason for this unique standing of liberal regimes is a fact (prominently defended by Charles Taylor) that people in contemporary societies do not understand their value as mediated through some external entity (tribe, church, family, nation). They perceive the source of their value as coming from “inside”. This is deeply problematic for illiberal regimes – a challenge they cannot overcome, but that liberal regimes can.

Type

J_SC - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the SCOPUS database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

60301 - Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology

Project

<a href="/en/project/EF15_003%2F0000425" target="_blank" >EF15_003/0000425: Centre for Ethics</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)<br>I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Acta Politologica

ISSN

1804-1302

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

10

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC

Number of pages

16

Pages from-to

64-79

UT code for WoS article

—

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85056656620