Philosophy and the Dialectic of Modernity :: Philosophical Essays

Philosophy and the Dialectic of Modernity ABSTRACT: Habermas' social philosophy can now be perceived in its oppositional structures and their symbolic meaning. His repetition of structural opposition finds its expression in the symbolism which pervades The Philosophic Discourse of Modernity in the opposition between the dreaded myth of the Dialectic of Enlightenment and the redemptive fantasy of the path yet to be taken. More significant for the intellectual culture of modernity is the neglect, by erasure on the part of this esteemed philosopher, of the great drama of philosophy in our time. This is the drama occasioned by the dialectical struggle, rushing to climax in the 20th Century, between Enlightenment reason and its Counterenlightenment opponent. The struggle between these philosophical constellations is refracted in the great wars of this century. Thus the drama of the philosophical thought of the century and its historical development is lost. The philosophic discourse of modernity has yet to be written. Its text, o nce it has been freed from the tenacity of ideological hostilities and their erasures and concealing circumlocutions, will at the same time provide the sought-for foundation for social philosophy and a just society: it is the philosophic framework of Modernity itself which is the foundation of all modern philosophies, in the dialectic of Enlightenment and its Counterenlightenment other. The social philosophy of Jurgen Habermas, outstanding philosopher and master dialectician of our time, has an immediate appeal to American philosophers, educated in the history of the Protestant migrations to the New World in search of religious freedom; educated also in the Founding Fathers who drew up a constitution for a modern republic heralded by Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence proclaiming the universality of human equality and natural rights; educated as well in the social philosophy of American pragmatism, in which Enlightenment principles of democracy and science become normative social processes. The appeal of Habermas to American philosophers long acculturated in the Enlightenment tradition is that of a voice speaking for reason and justice; he stands forth philosophically on behalf of "rehabilitating the Enlightenment" in the face of various current modes of thought engaged in its undermining. Habermas has been widely commended for his strong unequivocal stand as a German intellectual against the Nazi movement and the Holocaust it produced, and against any revisionist circumlocutions seeking to obscure those atrocities. Habermas is also commended for his repudiation of Martin Heidegger's complicity with Nazism and his retreat to linguistic mysticism.

Arctic cap melting

The article voices concerns over the unprecedented rapid pace of Arctic cap melting. However, the melting process itself poses lesser danger to the Earth ecosystem as compared with the feedback mechanisms Arctic ice is involved in. These feedback mechanisms contribute to global warming in three distinct ways.As ice melts, the territory of open ocean waters increases. Water has lower reflectivity, or albedo, as compared to ice. This fact entails that water absorbs 80 percent more solar radiation than sea ice does.   Thus, the sun warms the ocean more quickly, and this process results in a vicious circle speeding up global warming.The second way ice melting accelerates climate change is associated with the fact that oceans absorb about half the carbon dioxide that humans emit into the atmosphere. Yet their ability to absorb carbon dioxide is diminished by the increase in ocean’s temperature because the gas dissolves less readily in warmer water. Furthermore, warming of oceans implies less mixing between deep and surface waters – the process that provides nutrients to plankton that absorb carbon dioxide.Finally, ice melting entails rotting of organic matter contained in the permafrost. This process involves the release of carbon dioxide and methane into the Earth atmosphere. Warming also affects wetlands and forests desiccating peat bogs and causing beetle infestation that kills pine forest.More wildfires occur in dead or dying forests, and the process of combustion emits huge quantities of carbon into the atmosphere.All these alarming signs call for a united and consistent action by all environmental activists and everyone keen on saving our planet.

Political Parties Politics, And Religion - 1480 Words

I started my search based off my long held interest in politics, and the issues that affect the way we govern. So I boiled that down to the entities that decide when and what we govern. Political Parties. After I had my subject I looked at the three things I believe political parties play a role in. The three areas of interest I chose were our political parties role in our history, economics, and religion, and what factors in those areas determine how political parties’ function. The first area I looked at was political parties role in our history. There were a multitude of sources that came up, but only a few that dealt with American political parties or was broad enough to use for this topic. For example, there was one article that dealt interpreted the political parties role in U.S. tariff policy in the 1820s (Daniel Purt). I felt that that subject was too narrow for the area of interest I was looking to explore, so with that I decided to move on to another article. The first article I really looked in depth at was an article from Richard L. McCormick, titled â€Å"Politics in the United States: Reinterpreting their Natural History† And this article goes over, broadly, the different realignments and political transitions that have occurred in our country. In the article it also talks about new ideas political scientists now focus on. Being as previously they only focused on voting patterns (McCormick), the scope of inquiry has now increased to a mul titude of topics. WhileShow MoreRelatedReligion And Its Impact On Society1163 Words   |  5 PagesReligion has created major turmoil in America. Every night on the news, specialists elaborate more and more about the candidates and their ideas. Many of the most controversial issues are refugees, terrorism, and abortion; all of which all have aspects dealing with religion. 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