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This book follows Chagall's life through his art and his
understanding of the role of the artist as a political being. It
takes the reader through the different milieus of the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries - including the World Wars and the
Holocaust - to present a unique understanding of Chagall's artistic
vision of peace in an age of extremes. At a time when all
identities are being subsumed into a "national" identity, this book
makes the case for a larger understanding of art as a way of
transcending materiality. The volume explores how Platonic notions
of truth, goodness, and beauty are linked and mutually illuminating
in Chagall's work. A "spiritual-humanist" interpretation of his
life and work renders Chagall's opus more transparent and
accessible to the general reader. It will be essential reading for
students of art and art history, political philosophy, political
science, and peace studies.
This book follows Chagall's life through his art and his
understanding of the role of the artist as a political being. It
takes the reader through the different milieus of the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries - including the World Wars and the
Holocaust - to present a unique understanding of Chagall's artistic
vision of peace in an age of extremes. At a time when all
identities are being subsumed into a "national" identity, this book
makes the case for a larger understanding of art as a way of
transcending materiality. The volume explores how Platonic notions
of truth, goodness, and beauty are linked and mutually illuminating
in Chagall's work. A "spiritual-humanist" interpretation of his
life and work renders Chagall's opus more transparent and
accessible to the general reader. It will be essential reading for
students of art and art history, political philosophy, political
science, and peace studies.
In addition to war, terrorism, and unchecked military violence,
modernity is also subject to less visible but no less venomous
conflicts. Global in nature, these "culture wars" exacerbate the
tensions between tradition and innovation, virtue and freedom.
Internationally acclaimed scholar Fred Dallmayr charts a course
beyond these persistent but curable dichotomies in Integral
Pluralism: Beyond Culture Wars. Consulting diverse fields such as
philosophy, literature, political science, and religious studies,
Dallmayr equates modern history with a process of steady
pluralization. This process, which Dallmayr calls "integral
pluralism," requires new connections and creates ethical
responsibilities. Dallmayr critically compares integral pluralism
against the theories of Carl Schmitt, the Religious Right,
international "realism," and so-called political Islam. Drawing on
the works of James, Heidegger, Gadamer, and Merleau-Ponty, Integral
Pluralism offers sophisticated and carefully researched solutions
for the conflicts of the modern world.
It is commonly agreed that we live in an age of globalization, but
the profound consequences of this development are rarely
understood. Usually, globalization is equated with the expansion of
economic and financial markets and the proliferation of global
networks of communication. In truth, much more is at stake:
Traditional concepts of individual and national identity as well as
perceived relationships between the self and others are undergoing
profound change. Every town has become a potential cosmopolis -- an
international city -- affecting the way that people conceptualize
the relationship between public order and political practice. In
Being in the World, noted political theorist Fred Dallmayr explores
the globe's transition from the traditional Westphalian system of
states to today's interlocking cosmopolitan network. Drawing upon
sacred scriptures as well as the work of ancient philosophers such
as Plato and Aristotle and more recent scholars such as Martin
Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Raimon Panikkar, this book
delves into what Dallmayr calls "being in the world," seen as an
aspect of ethical-political engagement. Rather than lamenting
current problems, he suggests addressing them through civic
education and cosmopolitan citizenship. Dallmayr advocates a
politics of the common good, which requires the cultivation of
public ethics, open dialogue, and civic responsibility.
In his latest book, Horizons of Difference: Engaging with Others,
Fred Dallmayr argues that the dialogue between religious and
secular commitments, between faith and reason, is particularly
important in our time because both faith and reason can give rise
to dangerous and destructive types of extremism, fanaticism, or
idolatry. In this interdisciplinary and cross-cultural synthesis of
philosophy, religious thought, and political theory, Dallmayr
neither accepts the "clash of cultures" dichotomy nor denies the
reality of cultural tensions. Instead, operating from the
standpoint of philosophical hermeneutics, he embraces cultural
difference as a necessary condition and opportunity for mutual
cross-cultural dialogue and learning. In part 1, "Relationality and
Difference," Dallmayr explores the emergence of diverse loyalties
and attachments in different social and cultural contexts. The
assumption is not that different commitments are necessarily
synchronized or "naturally" compatible but rather that they are
held together precisely by their difference and potential
antagonism. Part 2, "Engagement through Dialogue and Interaction,"
dwells on the major means of mediating between the alternatives of
radical separation and radical sameness: dialogue and hermeneutical
interpretation of understanding. In this respect, the emphasis
shifts to leading philosophers of dialogue such as Hans-Georg
Gadamer, Bernhard Waldenfels, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. In a world
where the absolutizing of the ego encourages selfish egotism that
can lead to aggressive warmongering, Horizons of Difference shows
how the categories of "difference" and "relationality" can be used
to build a genuine and peaceful democracy based on dialogue and
interaction instead of radical autonomy and elitism.
The great German novelist Thomas Mann implored readers to resist
the persistent and growing militarism of the mid-twentieth century.
To whom should we turn for guidance during this current era of
global violence, political corruption, economic inequality, and
environmental degradation? For more than two millennia, the world's
great thinkers have held that the ethically "good life" is the
highest purpose of human existence. Renowned political philosopher
Fred Dallmayr traces the development of this notion, finding
surprising connections among Aristotelian ethics, Abrahamic and
Eastern religious traditions, German idealism, and postindustrial
social criticism. In Search of the Good Life does not offer a
blueprint but rather invites readers on a cross-cultural quest.
Along the way, the author discusses the teachings of Aristotle,
Confucius, Nicolaus of Cusa, Leibniz, and Schiller, in addition
invoking more recent writings of Gadamer and Ricoeur, as guideposts
and sources of hope during our troubled times. Among contemporary
themes Dallmayr discusses are the role of the classics in
education, proper and improper ways of spreading democracy
globally, the possibility of transnational citizenship, the problem
of politicized evil, and the role of religion in our predominantly
secular culture. Dallmayr restores the notion of the good life as a
hallmark of personal conduct, civic virtue, and political
engagement, and as the road map to enduring peace. In Search of the
Good Life seeks to arouse complacent and dispirited citizens,
guiding them out of the distractions of shallow amusements and
perilous resentments in the direction of mutual learning and civic
pedagogy -- a direction that will enable them to impose
accountability on political leaders who stray from fundamental
ethical standards.
Small Wonder presents the dangers of the 'underside of modernity':
the unleashing of unlimited lust for (global) power and wealth.
Relying on leading critical intellectuals, Dallmayr offers a
critique of the self-deceptions of our age, pleading in favor of
the cultivation of the 'small wonder' of everyday life.
In an age marked by global hegemony and festering civilization
clashes, Fred Dallmayr's Achieving Our World charts a path toward a
cosmopolitan democracy respectful of local differences. Dallmayr
draws upon and develops insights from a number of fields: political
theory, the study of international politics, recent Continental
philosophy, and an array of critical cultural disciplines to
illustrate and elucidate his thesis. In Achieving Our World,
Dallmayr contends that a genuinely global and plural democracy and
'civic culture' is the only viable and promising path for humankind
in the new millennium.
The book denounces the irresponsible recklessness of some
geopolitical agendas which are pushing the world relentlessly
toward a major global war, and possibly toward nuclear destruction
or apocalypse. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has recently
placed the "Doomsday Clock" at three minutes to midnight. Signs
pointing toward a possible grand disaster are multiple: everywhere
one looks in our world today one finds ethnic and religious
conflicts, bloody mayhem, incipient genocide, proxy wars and
"hybrid" wars", renewal of the Cold War. Add to these ills global
economic crises, massive streams of refugees, and the threats posed
by global warming - and the picture of a world in complete disorder
is complete. Thus, it is high time for humankind to wake up.
Starting from the portrayal of global "anomie", the book issues a
call to people everywhere to oppose the rush to destruction and to
return to political sanity and the quest for peace. This is a call
to global public responsibility. In ethical terms, it says that
people everywhere have an obligation to prevent apocalypse and to
"maintain" our world or "hold the world together" in all its
dimensions - including the dimensions of human and social life,
natural ecology, and human spiritual aspirations (or openness to
the divine). Differently out: in lieu of the prevailing disorder
and brokenness, the book urges us to search for a new "wholeness"
and just peace. The book is intercultural and also
inter-disciplinary. Since the aim is holistic - to hold the world
together - the book necessarily has to draw on many disciplines:
including philosophy, theology, social science, history, and
literature. In terms of Western philosophical and intellectual
legacies, it draws mainly on the teachings of Nietzsche, Heidegger,
and Derrida. It also offers a completely new interpretation of the
work of Thomas Hobbes, unearthing in this work an ethical demand to
exit from the state of perpetual warfare in the direction of a
shared commonwealth. The text also relies on the teachings of
Christian theology (both Catholic and Protestant), invoking at
crucial junctures the works of Karl Barth, Raimon Panikkar, and
others. In terms of non-Western intellectual and spiritual
legacies, the book offers new interpretations of leading texts in
the Indian and Chinese traditions. Thus, emphasis is placed on the
ideas of "world maintenance" (loka-samgraha) in Hinduism and of
"All-Under-Heaven" in classical Chinese thought. Although a central
thrust of the text is for a new wholeness, the goal is not a
uniform synthesis where everything would be swallowed up in a bland
unity. Rather the issue is how to preserve diversity of the world
in its rightful integrity, by linking all elements in a complex web
of interconnections and "relationality".
To whom should we look for moral guidance during times of global
violence, scarcity, and corruption? For two millennia, Aristotle's
writings have taught that the ethically "good life" is the highest
purpose of human existence. In In Search of the Good Life, renowned
philosopher Fred Dallmayr traces the development of this notion,
illuminating the connections between Greek philosophy,
Judeo-Christian tradition, Eastern religions, and postindustrial
social criticism. Dallmayr searches the writings of Bonaventure,
Nicolaus of Cusa, Leibniz, Montesquieu, and others, for models of
the good life. In Search of the Good Life, however, is not merely
an academic exercise. Dallmayr's investigations apply directly to a
number of contemporary issues: the relevance of the classics, the
global spread of democracy, appropriate responses to evil, and the
public role of religion in a democracy. Dallmayr reinvigorates the
notion of the good life as a hallmark of personal conduct, civic
virtue, and political engagement, seeking to roust a complacent and
self-indulgent citizenry out of a fog of modern amusements and
distractions.
Dialogue and the New Cosmopolitanism: Conversations with Edward
Demenchonok stands in opposition to the doctrine that might makes
right and that the purpose of politics is to establish domination
over others rather than justice and the good life for all. In the
pursuit of the latter goal, the book stresses the importance of
dialogue with participants who take seriously the views and
interests of others and who seek to reach a fair solution. In this
sense, the book supports the idea of cosmopolitanism, which-by
contrast to empire-involves multi-lateral cooperation and thus the
quest for a just cosmopolis. The international contributors to this
volume, with their varied perspectives, are all committed to this
same quest. Edited by Fred Dallmayr, the chapters take the form of
conversations with Edward Demenchonok, a well-known practitioner of
international and cross-cultural philosophy. The conversations are
structured in parts that stress the philosophical, anthropological,
cultural, and ethical dimensions of global dialogue. In our
conflicted world, it is inspiring to find so many authors from
different places agreeing on a shared vision.
Civilizations and World Order: Geopolitics and Cultural Difference
examines the role of civilizations in the context of the existing
and possible world order(s) from a cross-cultural and
inter-disciplinary perspective. Contributions seek to clarify the
meaning of such complex and contested notions as "civilization,"
"order," and "world order"; they do so by taking into account
political, economic, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of
social life. The book deals with its main theme from three angles
or vectors: first, the geopolitical or power-political context of
civilizations; secondly, the different roles of civilizations or
cultures against the backdrop of "post-coloniality" and
"Orientalism"; and thirdly, the importance of ideological and
regional differences as factors supporting or obstructing world
order(s). All in all, the different contributions demonstrate the
impact of competing civilizational trajectories on the functioning
or malfunctioning of contemporary world order.
Westerners seem united in the belief that China has emerged as a
major economic power and that this success will most likely
continue indefinitely. But they are less certain about the future
of China's political system. China's steps toward free market
capitalism have led many outsiders to expect increased
democratization and a more Western political system. The Chinese,
however, have developed their own version of capitalism. Westerners
view Chinese politics through the lens of their own ideologies,
preventing them from understanding Chinese goals and policies.
In Contemporary Chinese Political Thought: Debates and
Perspectives, Fred Dallmayr and Zhao Tingyang bring together
leading Chinese intellectuals to debate the main political ideas
shaping the rapidly changing nation. Investigating such topics as
the popular "China Model," the resurgence of Chinese Confucianism
and its applications to the modern world, and liberal socialism,
the contributors move beyond usual analytical frameworks toward
what Dallmayr and Zhao call "a dismantling of ideological
straitjackets." Comprising a broad range of opinions and
perspectives, Contemporary Chinese Political Thought is the most
up-to-date examination in English of modern Chinese political
attitudes and discourse.
Features contributions from Ji Wenshun, Zhou Lian, Zhao
Tingyang, Zhang Feng, Liu Shuxian, Chen Ming, He Baogang, Ni
Peimin, Ci Jiwei, Cui Zhiyuan, Frank Fang, Wang Shaoguang, and
Cheng Guangyun.
In his latest book, Horizons of Difference: Engaging with Others,
Fred Dallmayr argues that the dialogue between religious and
secular commitments, between faith and reason, is particularly
important in our time because both faith and reason can give rise
to dangerous and destructive types of extremism, fanaticism, or
idolatry. In this interdisciplinary and cross-cultural synthesis of
philosophy, religious thought, and political theory, Dallmayr
neither accepts the "clash of cultures" dichotomy nor denies the
reality of cultural tensions. Instead, operating from the
standpoint of philosophical hermeneutics, he embraces cultural
difference as a necessary condition and opportunity for mutual
cross-cultural dialogue and learning. In part 1, "Relationality and
Difference," Dallmayr explores the emergence of diverse loyalties
and attachments in different social and cultural contexts. The
assumption is not that different commitments are necessarily
synchronized or "naturally" compatible but rather that they are
held together precisely by their difference and potential
antagonism. Part 2, "Engagement through Dialogue and Interaction,"
dwells on the major means of mediating between the alternatives of
radical separation and radical sameness: dialogue and hermeneutical
interpretation of understanding. In this respect, the emphasis
shifts to leading philosophers of dialogue such as Hans-Georg
Gadamer, Bernhard Waldenfels, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. In a world
where the absolutizing of the ego encourages selfish egotism that
can lead to aggressive warmongering, Horizons of Difference shows
how the categories of "difference" and "relationality" can be used
to build a genuine and peaceful democracy based on dialogue and
interaction instead of radical autonomy and elitism.
Beyond Orientalism explores the confluence of contemporary Western
(especially Continental) philosophy, with its focus on otherness
and difference, and the ongoing process of globalization or the
emergence of the "global village". The basic question raised in the
book is: What will be the prevailing life-form or discourse of the
global village? Will it be the discourse of Western science,
industry, and metaphysics which, under the banner of modernization
and development, seeks to homogenize the world in its image? In
Said's work, this strategy was labeled "Orientalism". Or will it be
possible to move "beyond Orientalism" in the direction neither of
global uniformity nor radical fragmentation? After discussing the
broad range of possible "modes of cross-cultural encounter" in a
historical perspective, the book develops as a preferred option the
notion of a deconstructive dialogue or a "hermeneutics of
difference" which respects otherness beyond assimilation. This
hermeneutics is illustrated in chapters examining several
bridge-builders between cultures, primarily the Indian philosophers
Radhakrishnan and J.L. Mehta and the Indologist Halbfass. The
remaining chapters are devoted to more concrete social-political
problems, including issues of modernization, multiculturalism, and
the prospects of a globalized democracy which bids farewell to
Orientalism and Eurocentrism.
In 1934, during the Nazi regime in Germany, members of the
Confessing Church issued the Declaration of Barmen, which
reaffirmed their primary loyalty to the word of God. With their
action, they established a legacy for future generations to follow
in similar situations.This volume examines the historical,
political, and theological context of the creation of the Barmen
Declaration, as it constituted an act of theological and political
resistance against tyranny, terror, and fascism. The work of the
Barmen Declaration demonstrated clearly and powerfully the
"this-worldly" ethical and political salience of religion and
theology to empower witness, resistance, and solidarity. Containing
contributions from an inclusive array of renowned scholars, the
volume unfolds the lasting legacy and continued relevance of
Barmen.
In his "Complaint of Peace, the great sixteenth-century humanist
Erasmus allows "Peace" to talk. Peace speaks as a plantiff,
protesting her shabby treatment at the hands of humankind and our
every-ready inclination to launch wars. Against this lure of
warfare, Erasmus pits the higher task of peace-building, which can
only succeed through the cultivation of justice and respect for all
human life. First articulated in 1517, the complaint of Peace has
echoed through subsequent centuries and down to our age--an age
convulsed by world wars, holocausts, and ethnic cleansings.
Distinguished political scientist Fred Dallmayr traces this
complaint from the writings of Erasmus through the evolution of the
"law of nations" to recent and comtemporary co-plaintiffs in the
West. He also highlights the role of non-Western thinkers and
teachings in giving voice to "Peace." In addition to Erasmus,
Dallmayr engages major thinkers such as Francisco de Vitoria, Hugo
Grotius, Immanuel Kant, Hannah Arendt, Martin Heidegger, Mahatma
Ghandi, the Dalai Lama, John Rawls, and Martha Nussbaum. This
timely book urgently pleads for greater attentiveness to Peace's
complaint as an antidote to the prevailing culture of violence and
the escalating danger of nuclear catastrophe. Dallmayr offers not
only a compelling historical narrative, but powerful ethical and
religious arguments vindicating the primacy of peace over violence
and war.
In Spiritual Guides: Pathfinders in the Desert, Fred Dallmayr
challenges the "desert character" of modern culture. Political and
economic corruption, incessant warmongering, spoliation of natural
resources, and, above all, mindless consumerism and greedy
self-satisfaction are all symptoms of what he contends is an
expanding wasteland or desert where everything creative and
nourishing decays and withers. Through an alternative
interpretation of Nietzsche's saying "the desert grows," this book
calls for spiritual renewal, invoking in particular four prominent
guides or pathfinders in the desert: Paul Tillich, Raimon Panikkar,
Thomas Merton, and Pope Francis. What links all four guides
together is the view of spiritual life as an itinerarium, a pathway
along difficult and often uncharted roads. Dallmayr begins by
drawing a connection between Nietzsche's characterization of the
desert in Thus Spoke Zarathustra and the present culture of
consumerism, in which a nearly-exclusive emphasis on productivity,
efficiency, profitability, and the transformation of everything
valuable into a useful resource prevails over all other goals. He
also draws attention to another sense of "desert," namely, as a
place of solitude, meditation, and retreat from affliction. Aptly
defined, it becomes a place where spirituality arises from a
painful "turning-about": a wrenching effort to extricate human life
from the decay of late modernity. Spirituality is not a possession
or property but rather the contemplation and radical mindfulness
that we develop through engaged practices as we search for pathways
to recovery. Spirituality becomes critical in the dominant
political and cultural wasteland because it provides a bond linking
humanity together. In the spirit of global ecumenism, Spiritual
Guides also includes a discussion of Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist
forms of spirituality. This book will interest students and
scholars of philosophy, political theory, and religion.
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