Are citizens morally obligated to obey and support their states？ ＂Political Obligations and Authority＂ is perhaps A. John Simmons＇ most comprehensive summary of his mature views on this enduring philosophical prob...Are citizens morally obligated to obey and support their states？ ＂Political Obligations and Authority＂ is perhaps A. John Simmons＇ most comprehensive summary of his mature views on this enduring philosophical problem. In this essay, Simmons critically engages Plato＇s dialogue Crito and culls from it three types of strategies for justifying political obligations： natural duty, associative, and transactional. Simmons argues that natural duty accounts are inherently incapable of providing moral grounding for political obligations, disqualifies both associative and transactional accounts on empirical grounds, and settles for a form of anarchism. I argue, assuming as Simmons does in this essay that natural duties imply obligations of support and obedience to political institutions, that the natural duty strategy promises to provide an escape route out of anarchism.展开更多
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the political ideals of Sakae Osugi. Osugi argued that it was possible to establish a ＂society of mutual aid＂ based on the principle of ＂expansion of life＂. In his view,...The purpose of this paper is to investigate the political ideals of Sakae Osugi. Osugi argued that it was possible to establish a ＂society of mutual aid＂ based on the principle of ＂expansion of life＂. In his view, the hierarchy meant fixing the boundary and every boundary was an expression and exercise of power. That explains why anarchism is a perpetual movement which attempts to transcend every boundary forming the hierarchy. Osugi aimed at a free and diversified federal society where life is expanded. Osugi＇s influence stemmed from his articulation of the basic concerns of his generation. That generation confronted difficulties of a different order from those faced by the Meiji leadership. Osugi was attracted to the problem presented by the emerging masses： How could they be incorporated into society？ His reply to this question was ＂mutual aid＂. This paper focuses on the relation between both notions of freedom and society and analyzes it throwing a light on the principle of ＂expansion of life＂ in Osugi＇s anarchism. Similarly to his contemporaries, it might be helpful to enquire into that principle, in a way that is beneficial to the relation between freedom and society.展开更多
Several of Rousseau＇s critics begin with the presupposition that his writings are inconsistent or incoherent ann proceed to locate the ＂essence＂ of his philosophy in some of his writings while excluding others. Ern...Several of Rousseau＇s critics begin with the presupposition that his writings are inconsistent or incoherent ann proceed to locate the ＂essence＂ of his philosophy in some of his writings while excluding others. Ernst Cassirer is among the few philosophers who have attempted to defend Rousseau＇s claim to consistency. Despite its broad influence, Cassirer＇s interpretation has remained largely unchallenged. The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it aims to show that Cassirer＇s interpretation undermines （1） the important role Rousseau assigns to pity in both the state of nature and civil society and （2） the significant role the general will plays in his political theory. Secondly, it proposes an alternative interpretation that succeeds in uniting Rousseau＇s opus.展开更多
In the late Qing, China entered the capitalist world-system and this brought about a structural change in society. In this context, late Qing intellectuals felt a double imperative： they had to combat imperialist inv...In the late Qing, China entered the capitalist world-system and this brought about a structural change in society. In this context, late Qing intellectuals felt a double imperative： they had to combat imperialist invasion and economic plunder and therefore they had to establish a nation-state, which presupposed capitalist development. However, on the other hand, they saw the various problems associated with capitalism, and as they were developing their narratives of identity, they needed to find conceptual resources to counter Eurocentric narratives of history. Consequently, these intellectuals harbored a desire to overcome capitalism. This desire produced various post-capitalist utopias, which we can see in Kang Youwei, Tan Sitong and Zhang Taiyan. These utopias are especially meaningful today, in an age where capitalist domination is heightened, but hope for a post-capitalist future has greatly diminished. ＂Equality＂ is a keyword with which late Qing intellectuals mapped out the future. Moreover, ＂equality＂ expresses precisely the above doubled movement： on the one hand, it constitutes the condition for the nation state, but on the other hand, it is also a concept that late Qing intellectuals used to imagine a different future. Discussions of equality directly dealt with issues of labour, women, and so on. This essay takes as its focus the Journal of Natural Justice, which was organized by the Society for the Restoration of Women＇s rights organized by He Zhen, Liu Shipei and others. This journal published for less than one year, but it was one of the main joumals promoting socialism and anarchism. It was also the first to directly discuss ＂labour,＂ and it proposed an ideal of equality in which ＂everyone has work and everyone labours.＂ Throughout the rest of China＇s twentieth century, leftist and Marxist intellectuals continued this emphasis on labour. But capitalism presupposes that everyone is equal as a free-labourer. In this case, what is the relationship between the utopia proposed by the Journal of Natural Justice, which entails a world in which all people have work, and capitalism？This essay examines this question in hopes of shedding light on the larger trajectory of Chinese history.展开更多
文摘Are citizens morally obligated to obey and support their states？ ＂Political Obligations and Authority＂ is perhaps A. John Simmons＇ most comprehensive summary of his mature views on this enduring philosophical problem. In this essay, Simmons critically engages Plato＇s dialogue Crito and culls from it three types of strategies for justifying political obligations： natural duty, associative, and transactional. Simmons argues that natural duty accounts are inherently incapable of providing moral grounding for political obligations, disqualifies both associative and transactional accounts on empirical grounds, and settles for a form of anarchism. I argue, assuming as Simmons does in this essay that natural duties imply obligations of support and obedience to political institutions, that the natural duty strategy promises to provide an escape route out of anarchism.
文摘The purpose of this paper is to investigate the political ideals of Sakae Osugi. Osugi argued that it was possible to establish a ＂society of mutual aid＂ based on the principle of ＂expansion of life＂. In his view, the hierarchy meant fixing the boundary and every boundary was an expression and exercise of power. That explains why anarchism is a perpetual movement which attempts to transcend every boundary forming the hierarchy. Osugi aimed at a free and diversified federal society where life is expanded. Osugi＇s influence stemmed from his articulation of the basic concerns of his generation. That generation confronted difficulties of a different order from those faced by the Meiji leadership. Osugi was attracted to the problem presented by the emerging masses： How could they be incorporated into society？ His reply to this question was ＂mutual aid＂. This paper focuses on the relation between both notions of freedom and society and analyzes it throwing a light on the principle of ＂expansion of life＂ in Osugi＇s anarchism. Similarly to his contemporaries, it might be helpful to enquire into that principle, in a way that is beneficial to the relation between freedom and society.
文摘Several of Rousseau＇s critics begin with the presupposition that his writings are inconsistent or incoherent ann proceed to locate the ＂essence＂ of his philosophy in some of his writings while excluding others. Ernst Cassirer is among the few philosophers who have attempted to defend Rousseau＇s claim to consistency. Despite its broad influence, Cassirer＇s interpretation has remained largely unchallenged. The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it aims to show that Cassirer＇s interpretation undermines （1） the important role Rousseau assigns to pity in both the state of nature and civil society and （2） the significant role the general will plays in his political theory. Secondly, it proposes an alternative interpretation that succeeds in uniting Rousseau＇s opus.
文摘In the late Qing, China entered the capitalist world-system and this brought about a structural change in society. In this context, late Qing intellectuals felt a double imperative： they had to combat imperialist invasion and economic plunder and therefore they had to establish a nation-state, which presupposed capitalist development. However, on the other hand, they saw the various problems associated with capitalism, and as they were developing their narratives of identity, they needed to find conceptual resources to counter Eurocentric narratives of history. Consequently, these intellectuals harbored a desire to overcome capitalism. This desire produced various post-capitalist utopias, which we can see in Kang Youwei, Tan Sitong and Zhang Taiyan. These utopias are especially meaningful today, in an age where capitalist domination is heightened, but hope for a post-capitalist future has greatly diminished. ＂Equality＂ is a keyword with which late Qing intellectuals mapped out the future. Moreover, ＂equality＂ expresses precisely the above doubled movement： on the one hand, it constitutes the condition for the nation state, but on the other hand, it is also a concept that late Qing intellectuals used to imagine a different future. Discussions of equality directly dealt with issues of labour, women, and so on. This essay takes as its focus the Journal of Natural Justice, which was organized by the Society for the Restoration of Women＇s rights organized by He Zhen, Liu Shipei and others. This journal published for less than one year, but it was one of the main joumals promoting socialism and anarchism. It was also the first to directly discuss ＂labour,＂ and it proposed an ideal of equality in which ＂everyone has work and everyone labours.＂ Throughout the rest of China＇s twentieth century, leftist and Marxist intellectuals continued this emphasis on labour. But capitalism presupposes that everyone is equal as a free-labourer. In this case, what is the relationship between the utopia proposed by the Journal of Natural Justice, which entails a world in which all people have work, and capitalism？This essay examines this question in hopes of shedding light on the larger trajectory of Chinese history.
