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When reason goes on holiday

philosophers in politics
Author: Search for this author Sesardić, Neven, 1949- (author)
Statement of Responsibility: Neven Sesardić
Year: 2016
Publisher: New York [New York] ; London, Encounter Books
Media group: eBook/eResource
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Barcode: 01156057 Locations: 1 user licence Status: Online

Content

Philosophers usually emphasize the importance of logic, clarity and reason. Therefore when they address political issues they will usually inject a dose of rationality in these discussions, right? Wrong. This book gives a lot of examples showing the unexpected level of political irrationality among leading contemporary philosophers. The body of the book presents a detailed analysis of extreme leftist views of a number of famous philosophers and their occasional descent into apology for—and occasionally even active participation in—totalitarian politics. Most of these episodes are either virtually unknown (even inside the philosophical community) or have received very little attention. The author tries to explain how it was possible that so many luminaries of twentieth-century philosophy, who invoked reason and exhibited rigor and careful thinking in their professional work, succumbed to irrationality and ended up supporting some of the most murderous political regimes and ideologies. The huge leftist bias in contemporary philosophy and its persistence over the years is certainly a factor but it is far from being the whole story. Interestingly, the indisputably high intelligence of these philosophers did not actually protect them from descending into political insanity. It is argued that, on the contrary, both their brilliance and the high esteem they enjoyed in the profession only made them more self-confident and less cautious, thereby eventually making them blind to their betrayal of reason and the monstrosity of the causes they defended.

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Author: Search for this author Sesardić, Neven, 1949- (author)
Statement of Responsibility: Neven Sesardić
Year: 2016
Publisher: New York [New York] ; London, Encounter Books
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ISBN: 978-1-594-03880-8
ISBN (2nd): 978-1-594-03879-2
Description: 1 Online-Ressource (xi, 239 Seiten), Illustrationen
Tags: Political Science, Philosophy, History, Political Aspect, 20th Century, Political Atrocities, Politics, Politikwissenschaft, Philosophie, Geschichte, Politische Gräueltaten, Public Policy, Politik
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Language: eng
Media group: eBook/eResource