SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Metaphysical thinking exhibits a pathological cognitive propensity for regarding normative constraints and the ultimate grounds for the justification of our beliefs as being beyond our practices. Ideal theory, as is well-known, has come under a near-constant stream of justified vitriolic critique from a plethora of traditions ranging from postcolonialism, pragmatism, post-structuralism, and intersectional feminism to queer theory. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on dialectics and antagonisms. It is concerned with ethical life and intersubjectivity. The book is devoted to the logico-metaphysical discourse surrounding emancipation. It analyses social freedom in relation to emancipation. The book discusses classical and contemporary political philosophy in relation to Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and the Frankfurt School, as well as radical-democratic models and the outline and functions of economic institutions.