A Responsibility To The World Saramago Politics Philosophy

In a 1987 interview, José Saramago eloquently expressed what could be considered his political-philosophical manifesto: “Human beings should not content themselves with the role of mere observers. They bear a responsibility to the world; they must actively engage and intervene.” In 1998 the celebrated writer was honoured with the Nobel Prize for Literature. So Saramago did not only as a human being and a citizen, but also as an artist refuse to be a passive observer. Despite his profound and always critical pessimism, he tirelessly propelled both his public and artistic persona toward impactful actions and interventions, showcasing an unwavering dedication to reshaping the world. This volume seeks to delve into this facet of his legacy, exploring it from diverse political and philosophical perspectives.

This book explores the interconnections between world politics and non-human nature to overcome the anthropocentric boundaries that characterize the field of international relations. By gathering contributions from various perspectives, ranging from post-humanism and ecological modernization, to new materialism and post-colonialism, it conceptualizes the embeddedness of world politics in non-human nature, and proposes a reorientation of political practice to better address the challenges posed by climate change and the deterioration of the Earth’s ecosystems. The book is divided into two main parts, the first of which addresses new ways of theoretically conceiving the relationship between non-human nature and world politics. In turn, the second presents empirical investigations into specific case studies, including studies on state actors and international organizations and bodies. Given its scope and the new perspectives it shares, this edited volume represents a uniquely valuable contribution to the field.

This introductory textbook on international relations theory brings together a selection of leading experts to offer an unparalleled insight into the main paradigms and latest developments in the discipline. Presenting a full range of theories, from realism and liberalism to institutionalism and green theory, the sixth edition of this book has been extensively revised to offer a more global introduction to international relations. It showcases insights from across the world, and employs a historical and sociological perspective throughout to demonstrate how any understanding of IR is time and place contingent. New to this edition are two new chapters on postcolonialism and institutionalism, as well as boxed cases which apply theory to contemporary empirical examples including gendered policy in the UN, the phenomenon of 'fake news', issues on migration, and the crisis of the Amazon's forest fires. Assuming no prior knowledge of international relations theory, this text remains the definitive companion for all students of international relations and anyone with an interest in the latest scholarship of this fascinating field.

Although best known internationally for his 'allegorical' novels such as Blindness (1995), in his native Portugal, José Saramago remains most acclaimed for his earlier, richly poetic 'historical' novels. This new study of five of these works focuses on José Saramago's engagement with political and social philosophy from across Europe, so as to track his commitment to libertarian socialism in an era of neo-liberal economics and disillusion. Though deeply pessimistic about human being's capacity to deliver social justice, Saramago never abandons the progressive cause. Making use of insights from Gramsci, Walter Benjamin, and Marcuse, among others, this study argues that Saramago sought to engage his reader with a skeptical but vibrant utopianism: teaching us to abandon absolutes and embrace error as inevitable, and, indeed, even necessary. From this post-humanist perspective, humanity becomes understood as ongoing project rather than essence, challenging individuals to strive for self-knowledge and reinvention.

Arne Johan Vetlesen Ours is the era of globalisation. This means that the world is expanding; pressing a key, I can immediately reach persons living in another continent; products travel across the world to the store just around the corner from me; thanks to modern media, I am cognisant of events taking place right now thousands of kilometers away. The world is expanding in the sense that yesterday’s time-space limits are rendered irrelevant; my communications, my needs, my aspirations, transcend all such givens. Whatever confronts me as part of my here-and-now, as making up my present contextuality, I can – and will – easily transcend and leave it behind. That the world is expanding means I am expanding, insofar as my range of action, my horizon for thinking, indeed for existing, is perpetually expanding. Expansion as such is forever-happening; it is without limits. This is what we are being told about the nature of globalisation. It rings true; or more to the point, it sounds trivial. But perhaps it is neither. Let’s make a new start. Ours is the era of globalisation. This means that the world is shrinking. It is becoming smaller and smaller. It imposes itself upon me, wherever I go, whatever I undertake to do. It exerts all kinds of pressure from all kinds of directions, on all kinds of levels: psychologically no less than physically.

It is extremely difficult to seek new paths in the twilight of our former idols, ideals and visions of a happy and successful life. The authors of the book invite the reader to embark on this journey in a free-spirited manner and to look at the challenges posed by the new climate regime from different perspectives. Whether one accepts the concept of the Anthropocene as a starting point, or rather as an opportunity for constructive criticism, readers will be fully engaged by thinking through historical-philosophical, scientific, political, social, as well as educational problems.

The aim of this book is to reflect on the complex practice of responsibility within the context of a globalised world and contemporary means of action. Levinas' exploration of the ethical serves as point of entry and is shown to be seeking inter-cultural political relevance through engagement with the issues of postcoloniality and humanism. Yet, Levinas fails to realise the ethical implications of the inevitable instrumental mediation between ethical meaning and political practice. With recourse to Weber, Apel and Ricoeur, Ernst Wolff proposes a theory of strategic co-responsibility for the uncertain global context of practice.

In a world where every person is exposed daily through the mass media to images of violence and suffering, as most dramatically exemplified in recent years by the ongoing tragedy in Darfur, the question naturally arises: What responsibilities do we, as bystanders to such social injustice, bear in holding accountable those who have created the conditions for this suffering? And what is our own complicity in the continuance of such violence&—indeed, how do we contribute to and benefit from it? How is our responsibility as individuals connected to our collective responsibility as members of a society? Such questions underlie Stephen Esquith&’s investigation in this book. For Esquith, being responsible means holding ourselves accountable as a people for the institutions we have built or tolerated and the choices we have made individually and collectively within these institutional constraints. It is thus more than just acknowledgment; it involves settling accounts as well as recognizing our own complicity even as bystanders.