Books in the Philosophie et Politique / Philosophy and Politics series

The emerging development of genetic enhancement technologies has recently become the focus of a public and philosophical debate between proponents and opponents of a liberal eugenics - that is, the use of these technologies without any overall direction or governmental control. Inspired by Foucault's, Agamben's and Esposito's writings about biopower and biopolitics, the author sees both positions as equally problematic, as both presuppose the existence of a stable, autonomous subject capable of making decisions concerning the future of human nature, while in the age of genetic technology the nature of this subjectivity shall be less an origin than an effect of such decisions. Bringing together a biopolitical critique of the way this controversial issue has been dealt with in liberal moral and political philosophy with a philosophical analysis of the nature of and the relation between life, politics, and technology, the author sets out to outline the contours of a more responsible engagement with genetic technologies based on the idea that technology is an intrinsic condition of humanity.

The core questions of philosophy about the origin of the world and people, the distinction between good and evil, and the meaning of life - these questions keep us all busy. In this introduction to philosophy, these three questions lead our journey. You want to understand the world and man. Then you try to acquire an outlook on the proper course of action. Perhaps you especially hope to gain insight into the meaning of your own life. And our society, as well, repeatedly collides with questions of its economic, social, and ecological limits. Again and again, philosophy is the necessary condition for finding answers in a rational manner to the demands for in-sight, outlook, and the search for meaning. This is a fascinating story of more than 2,500 years of thought, where the reader might feel inspired to add his or her own responses to the most important personal and social questions. But also to ask new questions - the point of philosophy.

Philosophy of science used to be identified with the logical and methodological analysis of scientific theories, and any allusion to values was considered as a deplorable intromission in a philosophical investigation that should remain strictly epistemological. As a reaction against this view, an opposite «sociological» approach downplayed the usual virtues of scientific knowledge (such as logical rigor and empirical adequacy) as artificial imageries that cover the actual nature of science, that is a social product submitted to all the kinds of social conditionings and compromises. A more balanced view is badly needed today, when technoscience is permeating all aspects of our civilization and wise persons understand that we cannot survive without using science and technology but at the same time we need to steer their development in view of the real benefit of humankind. We must investigate how science, technology and values are legitimately interconnected and, in particular, how the discourses of ethics, politics and religion can enter a fruitful dialogue with science. The essays presented in this volume offer a valuable contribution to this interdisciplinary study.

Recueil de textes portant sur differents aspects l'ontologie du philosophe polonais Roman Ingarden. Collection of papers on various aspects of the ontology of the Polish philosopher Roman Ingarden.

Demain, la réalité de la personne l¿emportera-t-elle sur le mythe de l¿individu? C¿est à cette question essentielle pour la reconstruction d¿un lien social corrodé par l¿individualisme que répond ce livre, à partir d¿une triple approche: philosophique, idéologique et pratique. Né dans la première moitié du XX siècle, puis noyé dans le matérialisme et l¿économisme des cinquante dernières années, le personnalisme est appelé à un nouvel élan, stimulé par les impasses sociales et politiques dans lesquelles nous ont plongés la «pensée unique» et l¿idéologie marchande. Plus est en l¿homme réactualise cette grande idée. Un personnalisme pluraliste ¿ parce que d¿abord ancré dans l¿humain ¿ émerge ainsi. Conjuguant authenticité et ouverture, il expose les voies d¿un humanisme radical qui entre en résonance aussi bien avec les confessions religieuses qüavec une laïcité ouverte à la dimension spirituelle de l¿homme. À l¿orée du XXI siècle, l¿idéal de la fraternité redevient ce qüil n¿aurait jamais dû cesser d¿être: une utopie réalisable parce qüelle apparaît plus indispensable et désirable que jamais. Mais pour cela il faut oser dire, partager et mettre en ¿uvre l¿espérance que, oui, décidément: Plus est en l¿homme!