Publication details
Identita v liberální politické teorii a dilema kosmopolitismu (2. část)
| Title in English | Identity in Liberal Political Theory and the Dilemma of Cosmopolitanism (Part 2) |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Filosofický časopis |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://filcasop.flu.cas.cz/index.php?page=aktualne-prodavana-cisla&cislo=4-2018&obsah=825 |
| Keywords | identity; liberalism; cosmopolitanism; political community; plural identities; multiple polarity of law; world state |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This two-part text addresses the question of individual identity and its place – or rather its omission – in contemporary discussions of the cosmopolitan extension of liberalism as the dominant political theory. In the first part we showed that when systematic notice is taken of the complementarity of “inner” and “outer” identity – an integral part of liberalism from its very beginnings – then the public framework, which transparently establishes and enforces liberal principles and values, clearly stands out as indispensable. This framework was always, for liberalism, the political community and then, above all, the modern state, in which only now liberal identity can be realised. In the second part of the article, we look more closely at a problem which is facing cosmopolitan liberalism on account of the aforementioned facts: that is, the need to join the question of identity with an institutional programme guaranteeing the public framework for its formation. It is argued that the attempt to solve this problem presents liberals with a dilemma: either it is necessary to appeal for the institution of a global political authority (a “world state”), or it is necessary to let go of the belief that the basic liberal principles and values can be realised at the global level. It is also shown that, in view of the character and ambitions of the cosmopolitan project, one cannot rely on the promise of plural identities or on the multiple polarity of law. In conclusion, we then pose the question of the price of realising cosmopolitan liberal ideals. |
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