One of the most vexing questions in contemporary political philosophy and social theory concerns the framework within which to undertake a normatively well-grounded, empirically attuned critique of capitalist society. This volume takes the debate forward by proposing a new framework that emphasizes the central anthropological significance of work (its role in constituting human subjectivity) as well as the role work has in the formation of social bonds. Drawing on the philosophy of Hegel and the post-Hegelian tradition of critical social theory, special attention is given to the significance of recognition in work, the problems of misrecognition generated in the present culture of capitalism, and the normative resources available for criticising it.
Nicholas H. Smith is Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Sydney. He has published extensively on hermeneutics and critical social theory, including Strong Hermeneutics (1997) and Charles Taylor (2002).
Jean-Philippe Deranty is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Sydney. He has published extensively on critical social theory, including Beyond Communication. A Critical Study of Axel Honneth's Social Philosophy (Brill 2009).
Contributors include Christophe Dejours, Jean-Philippe Deranty, Russell Keat , Craig MacMillan, Pascale Molinier,Paul Redding, Emmanuel Renault , Hans-Christophe Schmidt am Busch, Nicholas Smith Dale Tweedie, Stephan Voswinkel, and Gabriele Wagner
Anyone interested in the contemporary world of work and the standpoints available for understanding and criticising it. Will be welcomed by philosophers, social and political theorists, economists, and others