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Francesca Sofia Alexandratos // The Life of Power: Recognition, Nature, and Critique of Power

February 7, 2024 @ 15:00 - 17:00

The Centre for Ethics Politics and Society (CEPS)University of Minho

CEPS Seminar MeetingsWednesday, February 7 at 15h (GMT) – hybrid format

Francesca Sofia Alexandratos (CEPS), “The Life of Power: Recognition, Nature, and Critique of Power”

Abstract: The talk will focus on the struggle of contemporary recognition theory in addressing power relations and will contend that early American pragmatism’s concepts of life can inform a critical approach to power relations.

The first part of the talk will be dedicated to the analysis of the contemporary paradigm of recognition. I will contend that recognition theory approaches human self-realization by mainly considering subjects’ social-practical existence and defines recognition as a relationship of affirmation that is constitutive to develop a good experience of oneself as an individual with social worth. I will consider that this paradigm is essential to critically approach manifest contexts of social domination but is insufficient to detect contexts of domination reproduced through ambiguous relationships of recognition.

The second part of the talk will identify the reason for this theoretical limit in the lack of a consistent consideration of human beings’ natural-practical existence, as natural beings in a constitutive interaction with the external environment, and the role of recognition thereof. Finally, I will argue that early American pragmatism provides a naturalistic but non-reductionist metaphysical framework wherein the process of human living interaction with the external world is investigated in-depth, and that a strong interpretation of recognition’s normative meaning for the critique of ambiguous power relations is at hand.

The session starts at 15 (GMT), and will take place in Sala Ceps (Edifício ELACH) – Campus de Gualtar, Universidade do Minho. You’re also welcomed to join us online, through the following Zoom link: tinyurl.com/CEPSSEMINARS2324

Details

Date:
February 7, 2024
Time:
15:00 - 17:00
Event Category:
Website:
http://tinyurl.com/CEPSSEMINARS2324

Venue

CEPS Room (ELACH) + Online
Rua da Universidade
Braga, Portugal

Organizer

CEPS
Email
ceps@elach.uminho.pt