Lifeworld, civilisation, system: Patočka and Habermas on Europe and its crisis

© FRANCESCO TAVA, 2016. The aim of this article is to show how both Jan Patočka and Jürgen Habermas, starting from a reinterpretation of the idea of «lifeworld», engaged a critique of modern civilisation, aiming (with different outcomes) at a redefinition of the concept of political community. In order to achieve this goal, I firstly focus on Patočka's understanding of modern rational civilisation and its attempt to fix the fracture between «life» and «world». At this stage, I take also advantage of Hans Blumenberg's distinction between these two terms, in order to better clarify Patočka's stance on this problem. Secondly, I analyse Habermas' ideas of lifeworld and system, and their uncoupling in modern societies, as well as the reemergence of this issue in Habermas' recent works on the European economic and political crisis. Finally, I focus on the very different ways in which Patočka and Habermas tackled the ideas of conflict and crisis in contemporary world, also in view of a possible path out of this crisis through a re-constitution of Europe

Sacrifice as a political problem: Jan Patočka and sacred sociology

The question arising from this article regards the meaning of sacrifice within the frame of Jan Patočka’s philosophy. Is human sacrifice aimed at reinforcing an institution or state of things as in the case of the Unknown Soldier narrative, or is it rather – as Patočka maintained – an essentially destabilizing deed, which has the power to shatter people’s knowledge and existence? In order to answer this question, I contrast Patočka’s standpoint with those of Émile Durkheim and of the main representatives of the so-called “sacred sociology”: Roger Caillois, Georges Bataille and other members of the Collège de sociologie. In conclusion, I show how Patočka’s approach to the theme of sacrifice helps to understand whether and how a “proper sacrifice” can actually become an instrument of political dissent within human societies

Facing global crises after Europe: Between philosophy and politics

Introduction to the issue of Metodo: International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy, 'Facing Global Crises After Europe: Between Philosophy and Politics'

Solidarity and data access: Challenges and potentialities

This paper provides an account of the challenges and potentialities of a solidarity-based approach to data access and governance. To do that, it offers an infraethical understanding of solidarity that describes it as a structural moral enabler that can sustain collective action and risk taking. The paper ends with a brief discussion of health data access as a possible case study to test this approach

Tragic realism: On Karel Kosík’s insight into Kafka

The aim of this article is to shed light on the reflections that Czech Marxist philosopher Karel Kosík dedicated to literature, and particularly to the writings of Franz Kafka, from the 1960s to the 1990s. More specifically, this article clarifies whether and how Kafka’s work influenced Kosík’s philosophy of praxis and critique of modern society

Facing a new crisis: Notes on Groundwork of Phenomenological Marxism, by Ian H. Angus (2021)

This review article analyses the topic of phenomenological Marxism, examining its historical formulations, critical contributions, and contemporary re-enactments. It begins with an overview of the works of Enzo Paci and the Milan school of phenomenology, as well as Jan Patočka and Karel Kosík. In addition, it explores the recent work by Ian H. Angus, whose book, Groundwork of Phenomenological Marxism (2021), presents an innovative perspective on the relationship between phenomenology and Marxism. Angus’s work emphasizes the intersection of Husserl and Marx’s ontologies of the lifeworld and labour, offering a fresh perspective on the discourse surrounding the relationship between nature, labour, and culture. Drawing on both phenomenological and Marxist categories, Angus argues for the need for an ethics of responsibility in response to the ecological crisis currently facing humanity. Angus posits that an ethics of responsibility grounded in phenomenological Marxism offers a promising avenue for addressing this pressing global issue

Epoché and institution: The fundamental tension in Jan Patočka’s phenomenology

This article examines the relation between two key, but seemingly opposed concepts in Jan Patočka’s thought: epoché and the concrete institutional polis. In doing so it attempts to elucidate the inextricable relation between phenomenology and politics in the work of the Czech philosopher, and illustrate more broadly the possibilities for approaching the political from a phenomenological perspective. The article provides a phenomenological interpretation of “care for the soul” as closely linked to Patočka’s reformulation of the core phenomenological notion of epoché. It argues that in Patočka’s work, the epoché, traditionally conceived as a radical stepping back from the world must be rendered differently, not only as a negative freedom, but as the foundation of positive politics. Thus, the authors argue that there is a thematic and conceptual continuity between Patočka’s phenomenological studies and his political work

The algorithmic disruption of workplace solidarity: Phenomenology and the future of work question

This paper examines, both historically and conceptually the development and technological mediation of the concept of solidarity. We argue for both an emphasis on the workplace as the locus of solidarity relations and for a phenomenological approach to describing and analysing these relations. On the basis of this approach, we then argue that algorithmic or automated decision support systems (ADS) may impact the formation of workplace solidarity relations. Solidarity relations are social objects that are mediated by a social-technological milieu and cannot be characterized in abstraction from this context. The focus on workplace solidarity is justified on the grounds that solidarity relations formed within the workplace and concretised via, for example, social objects such as labour unions, have played an outsize role in the broader struggle for social and political rights, recognition, and social, political and economic equality. The mediation and potential obstruction of solidarity relations by automated decision support systems is significant as solidarity can be understood as politically productive and desirable insofar as it motivates collective action and risk-taking. We hope to contribute to the growing literature on the "future of work" problem in elucidating the technological mediation of this central political concept

Future humanities

Future Humanities highlights the rise and convergence of new and critical humanities by publishing trans‐ and interdisciplinary research focused on diverse subjects and methodologies. These include, but are not limited to, philosophy, cultural and historical studies, religious studies, linguistics and semiotics, literature, and the arts as they intersect with various fields of study such as digital transformation and artificial intelligence, health ethics and biomedical technologies, climate change and biodiversity, and new media and communication. Special attention is given to the public dimension of these intersections and to the role that today's intellectuals play in their creation and development