The New Constellation

Download or read book The New Constellation written by Richard J. Bernstein and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-06-12 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this major new work, Bernstein explores the ethical andpolitical dimensions of the modernity/post-modernity debate. Bernstein argues that modernity / post-modernity should beunderstood as a kind of mood - one which is amorphous, shifting andprotean but which exerts a powerful influence on our currentthinking. Focusing on thinkers such as Heidegger, Derrida,Foucault, Habermas and Rorty, Bernstein probes the strengths andweaknesses of their work, and shows how they have contributed tothe formation of a new mood, a new and distinctive constellation ofideas. This new constellation has put ethical and political issues back onthe philosophical agenda, forcing us to confront anew, the Socraticquestion 'How should I live?'