Ethics and Politics in Contemporary Theory Between Critical Theory and Post-Marxism

'It is extremely hard to do justice in a short review to the complex arguments developed in this book. They touch upon fundamental problems such as the nature of language, relations between language and reality, and rationality.' - Krzystof Jaskulowski in Political Studies Review

Autorentext

Mark Devenney is a senior lecturer in politics and philosophy at the University of Brighton, UK. His current research concerns political economy and death, and involves a re-reading of Marx's labour theory of value and Foucault's biopolitics.

Klappentext

In addressing the political and theoretical debates between critical and post-Marxist theorists, this book discusses the politics of communication and rationality, subjectivity, sovereignty, ethics and deliberative democracy, considering questions such as:

• Does the theory of communicative action justify deliberative democracy?
• Is a theory of hegemony compatible with an account which relies upon an ideal of communicative success?
• Is autonomy a good which should be fostered?
• Can the ideal of democracy extend beyond the nation state?
• Does post-Marxism have anything interesting to say about ethics?
  Analysing the work of Ernesto Laclau and JA1/4rgen Habermas - as representatives of different choices made in regard to theory, politics and morality - Ethics and Politics in Contemporary Theory develops a critical response to the contrasting conclusions of these approaches.

Zusammenfassung
This book is a detailed examination of post-Marxist political theory, focusing especially on the work of Laclau, Habermas and Derrida. This book will make useful reading for students of Politics and Political Theory.

Inhalt

1. The Ends of Marx(ism)?2. Language, Communication, Performativity3. Performativity and Politics: From Habermas to Laclau4. Politics, Idealisation and Performativity5. Quasi-Transcendentalism and Critical Theory6. The Politics of Subjectivity7. Deliberative or Radical Democracy? The Politics of Performativity8. Post-Structuralism and Democratic Theory9. Ethics and Politics in Discourse Theory