The Liberalism-Communitarianism Debate: A Neo-Hegelian Aufhebung

The central issues in dispute between the liberals and communitarians arise from the social nature of individuals. Communitarians claim that this aspect of our nature requires a methodology that is rooted in the traditions and customs of particular societies. The substantive conclusions of this methodology should involve public policies for achieving a community in which individuals recognize that they belong to a common pursuit of a conception of the good. Liberals reject these proposals from concerns of both cultural relativism and state paternalism. I argue that a neo-Hegelian approach is sensitive to both sides of the dispute. My approach includes particular features of our Western democratic societies while also working with freedom as the fundamental political value; hence I combine communitarian particularity with the liberal emphasis on freedom. At the same time, I combine substantive policies for social unity with individual rights under a revised Hegelian account of the concept of freedom.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Philosophy

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Dickson, Eric Joshua

Contributors dc:contributor

• Richard Schacht

• Political Science, General

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3314761

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/87604