Description
Book SynopsisEscaping Alienation is a work of philosophical anthropology providing a theory of alienation and its opposite, dealienation. What it means to be human is answered from diverse perspectives provided by naturalism, pragmatism, existentialism, psychoanalysis and social psychology. A general concept of negativity is the theoretical core of this philosophy expressed by thinkers ranging from Parmenides to Hegel, Heidegger and Freud. The question of the meaning of being is answered existentially by a self-realizing humanity. Yet, an essential human nature is recognized reflecting a naturalistic perspective. The implications of a being composed of needs, desires, rationality and freedom are drawn out to exhibit the universal significance of alienation and dealienation. An integration of freedom with rationality suggests a prescription for dealienation concluding the treatise.
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Negativity: Foundation of Alienation: Ontological Principle of Negativity; What or Who is the Other?; The Being of Thought; Thinking the Universal; The Thought of Being; The Truth of Being; Alienation Chapter 4 Alienation: Impetus for Self Development: Nature of the Self; Narcissism and Self-Development; Narcissistic Selfhood; Egoistic Selfhood; Social Selfhood; The Alienated Self; Natural Self-Seeking; Roots of Evil Chapter 5 Alienating Work: Self-Objectifying Work; Social Dominance and Submission; Alienating Self-Objectification; Alienating Collective Work; Self-Objectification Requires Socialization; Freudian Repression versus Hegelian Sublation; Alienation and Identif Chapter 6 Freedom: Freedom and Rationality; Freedom and Necessity; Normative Freedom; Critique of Personal Freedom; Freedom and Authority; Escaping Freedom; Social Implications of Rational Freedom Chapter 7 Religious Dealienation: Religious Alienation; Authoritarian Evil; Atonement; Escaping Finitude; Alienating Religion; God as Other of Self; God as Self Chapter 8 Cultural Alienation: Derivation of Culture; Defective Socialization; Subordinating Self to Culture; Subordinating Culture to Self; Identification with Cultural Authority; Totalitarian Culture; Cultural Dealienation Chapter 9 Dealienation: Defining Dealienation; Overcoming Alienation; Authoritarian Dealienation; Conscience Guiding Freedom; Hegelian Critique of Conscience; Dealienating Love; Character and Virtue; Prescription for Dealienation Chapter 10 Argument Recapitulation: Negativity; Self-Development; Socialization; Freedom; Religion; Culture; Dealienation Chapter 11 Glossary Chapter 12 Bibliography Chapter 13 Index
