Ecological concern has recently prompted efforts to assess the economic value of ecological functions: the “work of nature” must no longer be taken for granted as a free amenity, but priced and accounted for as “natural capital.” Critiques of this approach tend to defend nature’s intrinsic value against intrusions of economic logic, but fail to articulate a compelling politics in response. I here argue that nature ought indeed to be brought in to the realm of political economy, but question the (...) category of natural capital: instead, extending the insights of feminist theorists regarding undervalued forms of production, I articulate an expanded idea of hybrid labor that understands the “work of nature” as a collective, distributed undertaking of humans and nonhumans acting to reproduce, regenerate, and renew a common world. This approach poses the value of nature as inherently political and suggests the potential for new forms of more-than-human politics. (shrink)

Responsibility is a central juridical, moral and social concept that calls on individuals to act in ways that are necessary and morally right. It represents a fundamental normative relationship that bridges abstract philosophical ideas with empirical social realities. Despite its everyday importance, the derivation and application of responsibility are complex and often contested. This article explores the meaning and conditions under which responsibility can be justifiably demanded, as well as its practical enforceability. Responsibility is understood as a normative relationship with (...) both moral and legal dimensions, constructed through social interactions. A responsible practice requires intersubjective agreement on the reasons and motives for actions, enabling the formulation and implementation of ethical justifications. (shrink)

This brief introduction sets the stage for the central aim of this issue of Ethics in Progress devoted to Hegel: to underscore the enduring relevance of his thought, in particular his Philosophy of Nature and his Realphilosophie, in addressing contemporary challenges. While Hegel may appear to some as an abstract thinker, seemingly surpassed by the demands of our era, the core elements of his philosophy – particularly the dialectical method, his reflections on the complex relationship between Natur (nature) and Geist (...) (spirit), and key concepts such as Anerkennung (recognition) and Wille (will) – continue to provide a vital conceptual framework for addressing pressing issues of our time. These include the environmental crisis and the evolving dynamics between humanity, nature, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. Consequently, this issue strives to approach Hegel through the lens of our contemporary experience, not to distort or “denaturalize” his thought, nor to fall into the trap of anachronism, but to breathe new life into the concept. By doing so, it invites the reader to listen anew to what Hegel’s philosophy might still teach us today. (shrink)

The paper first analyzes some relevant passages from Kant’s essay On a Supposed Right to Lie Because of Philanthropic Concerns and his understanding of the right of necessity in the Metaphysics of Morals and in the essay On the Old Saw: That May Be Right in Theory But It Won’t Work in Practice, in order to reflect on the more general question of whether it is possible from the Kantian point of view to allow legitimate exceptions to the moral principle. (...) It then focuses on some aspects of Hegel’s theory of action in the Outlines of the Philosophy of Right to emphasize his attention to the context and consequences of action and then show how Hegel addresses or would address the same problems related to responsibility in cases of exception from the commonly valid and accepted moral and legal norm. This will bring to light two different perspectives with respect to how to ground responsibility, which still provide important insights today. (shrink)

Vittorio Hösle is internationally highly regarded for his attempt to revive objective idealism – the philosophical line along which he situates the positions of Plato, Aristotle, most medieval philosophers, Spinoza, Leibniz, Schelling, Hegel, but also Peirce and Whitehead – as a philosophical system capable of holding together the transcendental dimension of synthetic a priori judgments with the intelligibility and objectivity of being. In this interview, he discusses his work over the past decades, starting from the “Philosophische Lehrjahre” (“years of philosophical (...) apprenticeship”) between Regensburg, Tübingen, Bochum and Freiburg and from the meetings with masters and significant interlocutors (such as Tóth, Thieme, Wandschneider, Beierwaldes, Lohr, Böckenförde, without forgetting Apel and Jonas). Multiple themes dot the path of thought retraced in this dialogue: from the rethematization of Hegel’s (and Vico’s) objective idealism through transcendental pragmatics to the delineation of the relationship between ethics and politics via a theory of the social and the intent of a normative foundation; from the need for a thought that faces the ecological crisis to the reinterpretation of sociobiology; and finally, from the project of an intersubjectively valid understanding to the importance of a theory of comedy. What emerges is the philosophical self-portrait of a cosmopolitan intellectual who was able to grasp the best from inherited and acquired cultural traditions: German culture, inherited from his father; Italian culture, inherited from his mother; and American culture, acquired by moving to the USA. The interview was realised on 17 April 2024 at the University of Trento, as part of the second series of lectures “Voices from Contemporary Philosophy”. (shrink)

Une place minimale serait-elle à réserver aux perceptions d’équité et de justice, en médiation? Nous noterons les évolutions récentes tracées par les acteurs supranationaux européens, avant d’observer la manière dont jurisprudences et doctrines, belges et françaises, raisonnent l’homologation lorsqu’il s’agit de vérifier le respect en médiation d’une garantie suffisante de justice et d’équité. Pour finir, nous comparerons les enseignements de deux arrêts de principe, l’un prononcé par la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme et l’autre par la Cour suprême canadienne, (...) jugeant les pratiques amiables de règlement de conflit. (shrink)

Karl Heinrich Gros nunca ha sido considerado hasta ahora como una posible fuente en el desarrollo de la teoría de la imputación y la acción de Hegel. Este trabajo demuestra la influencia de su ensayo Über die Ideen der Alten vom Schicksal (1795) en la comprensión de Hegel de la dialéctica entre imputación, destino y castigo con especial referencia a la historia de Edipo. Tras presentar a Gros y su papel en el siglo XVIII en Alemania y después de reconstruir (...) los principales argumentos de su ensayo (1.), la segunda parte del trabajo se centra en la comprensión de Hegel del Edipo Rey, subrayando las diferencias y similitudes con la lectura de Gros (2). Esto mostrará su relevancia dentro del proyecto más amplio de la teoría de la imputación de Hegel en su Filosofía del Derecho. (shrink)

European Journal of Philosophy, Volume 30, Issue 2, Page 862-865, June 2022.

While most of Political Theory’s 50th anniversary issue looks forward to imagining political theory in the future, the Book Review section looks backward to consider those books and schools of political theory not reviewed on the pages of the journal—but which went on to shape the field nonetheless. The aim of this section is not to constitute a new and newly virtuous canon, but rather to goad readers to reflect anew on knowledge production and the institutional and circulatory practices that (...) compose it, reaching from journal readers, to classrooms and conferences, and on to late night conversations and confabulations. (shrink)