Dialogue As A Trans Disciplinary Concept

This volume of essays constitutes a critical evaluation of Martin Buber’s concept of dialogue as a trans-disciplinary hermeneutic method. So conceived, dialogue has two distinct but ultimately convergent vectors. The first is directed to the subject of one’s investigation: one is to listen to the voice of the Other and to suspend all predetermined categories and notions that one may have of the Other; dialogue is, first and foremost, the art of unmediated listening. One must allow the voice of the Other to question one’s pre-established positions fortified by professional, emotional, intellectual and ideological commitments. Dialogue is also to be conducted between various disciplinary perspectives despite the regnant tendency to academic specialization. In recent decades‚ an increasing number of scholars have come to share Buber’s position to foster cross-disciplinary conversation, if but to garner, as Max Weber aruged, “useful questions upon which he would not so easily hit upon from his own specialized point of view.” Accordingly, the objective of this volume is to explore the reception of Buber’s philosophy of dialogue in some of the disciplines that fell within the purview of his own writings: Anthropology, Hasidism, Religious Studies, Psychology and Psychiatry.

This volume of essays takes as its point of departure Martin Buber’s principle of dialogue, which he applied as a comprehensive hermeneutic method for the study of various cultural phenomena. The volume critically evaluates the methodological purchase to be gained by the introduction of Buber’s conception of dialogue in political theory, psychology and psychiatry, and religious studies.

Transdisciplinarity provides an essential context for understanding some of the most important, complex, and difficult issues we face, whether in environmental protection, maintaining our health care systems, drafting new laws, formulating public policy, accommodating religious and cultural pluralism, or dealing humanely and respectfully with an ageing population. It responds to the need to cross boundaries in order to embrace the ideas of all disciplines that may be relevant to these questions. Successful transdisciplinary endeavours depend on developing methodologies that can be used to re-integrate knowledge. Contributors include Upendra Baxi (University of Warwick), Solomon Benatar (University of Cape Town), Ellis Cowling (North Carolina State University, William S. Fyfe (University of Western Ontario), Norbert Gilmore (McGill University), Julie Thompso Klein (Wayne State University), Sheldon Krimsky (Tufts University), Brian Lapping (documentary filmmaker), John Last (emeritus, University of Ottawa), Roderick MacDonald (McGill University), Desmond Manderson (Macquarie University), Eleonora Barbieri Masini (Gregorian University), Gavan J. McDonell (University of New South Wales), Anthony J. McMichael (University of London), Robert Y. McMurtry (Medical Research Council of Canada), Nicole Morgan (author, France), William H. Newell (Miami University), David J, Rapport, Andrew Sage (emeritus, George Mason University), Margaret A. Somerville, and Katherine Young (McGill University).

This book extensively explores the various influences and connections between Joseph Ratzinger and a number of leading philosophers; engaging with his work by means of Spanish, Portuguese, German, and English schools of thought through the contributions of a global body of scholars. Each chapter in this volume examines precisely how Ratzinger has dealt with the ideas of a particular philosopher, and how he has appropriated their ideas and thoughts. Moving from philosophers he has modified or critiqued – such as Kant, Comte or Wittgenstein – to those who have contributed to his philosophical theology, such as Guardini and Pieper, this truly international endeavour is an extraordinary journey into Ratzinger's engagement with his competing and congenial schools of thought.

With exacting scholarship and fecund analysis, Manuel Oliveira probes through the lens of Martin Buber (1878-1965) the theological and political ambiguities of Israel’s divine election. These ambiguities became especially pronounced with the emergence of Zionism. Wary, indeed, alarmed by the tendency of some of his fellow Zionists to conflate divine chosenness with nationalism, Buber sought to secure the theological significance of election by both steering Zionism from hypertrophic nationalism and by a sustained program to revalorize what he called alternately “Hebrew Humanism.” As Oliveira demonstrates, Buber viewed the idea of election teleologically, espousing a universal mission of Israel, which effectively calls upon Zionism to align its political and cultural project to universal objectives. Thus, in addressing a Zionist congress, he rhetorically asked, “What then is this spirit of Israel of which you are speaking? It is the spirit of fulfillment. Fulfillment of what? Fulfillment of the simple truth that man has been created for a purpose (...) Our purpose is the upbuilding of peace (...) And that is its spirit, the spirit of Israel (...) the people of Israel was charged to lead the way to righteousness and justice.”

Hannah Arendt and Simone Weil were two of the most compelling political thinkers of the 20th century who, despite having similar life-experiences, developed radically distinct political philosophies. This unique dialogue between the writings of Arendt and Weil highlights Arendt's secular humanism, her emphasis on heroic action, and her rejection of the moral approach to politics, contrasted starkly with Weil's religious approach, her faith in the power of divine Goodness, and her other-centric ethic of suffering and affliction. The writings here respect the profound differences between Arendt and Weil whilst pulling out the shared preoccupations of power, violence, freedom, resistance, responsibility, attention, aesthetics, and vulnerability. Without shying away from exploring the more difficult concepts in these philosophers' works, Hannah Arendt and Simone Weil also aims to pull out the relevance of their writings for contemporary issues.

Southern Africa is well-blessed with a diverse and vibrant human population and a wealth of natural capital. The key challenge for sustainable development is to grow society's capacity to use this natural capital to meet the needs of the region's human population, especially the poor, in ways that sustain environmental life-support systems. Collaborating across disciplines, the authors explore the underpinning principles and the potential of sustainability science in a number of case studies.

The Routledge International Handbook of Psychoanalysis and Philosophy provides a rich panoramic view of what philosophy offers or disturbs in psychoanalysis and what it represents for psychoanalytic theory and practice. The thirty-three chapters present a broad range of interfaces and reciprocities between various aspects of psychoanalysis and philosophy. It demonstrates the vital connection between the two disciplines: psychoanalysis cannot make any practical sense if it is not entirely perceived within a philosophical context. Written by a team of world-leading experts, including established scholars, psychoanalysts and emerging talents, the Handbook investigates and discusses the psychoanalytic schools and their philosophical underpinning, as well as contemporary applied topics. Organized into five sections, this volume investigates and discusses how psychoanalysis stands in relation to leading philosophies such as Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Kant; philosophical perspectives on psychoanalytic schools such as Freud, Klein, Bion, Kohut, and Lacan; how psychoanalysis addresses controversial topics in philosophy such as truth, language and symbolism, ethics, and theories of mind. The last section addresses contemporary applied subjects in psychoanalytic thought: colonialism, gender, race, and ecology. This Handbook offers a novel and comprehensive outlook vital for scholars, philosophers, practicing psychoanalysts and therapists alike. The book will serve as a source for courses in psychoanalysis, philosophy of science, epistemology, ethics, semiotics, cognitive science, consciousness, gender, race, post-colonialism theories, clinical theory, Freud's studies, both in universities and psychoanalytic training programs and institutes.