Description
Book SynopsisAlain Locke, the central promoter of the Harlem Renaissance, is placed in conversation with leading philosophers and cultural figures in the modern world, from Aristotle to Obama. For teachers and students of contemporary debates in pragmatism, diversity, and value theory, these conversations' define new-and controversial-terrain.
Trade ReviewPhilosophic Values and World Citizenship is a Sankofan knockout to the all too common conversations in American philosophy that continue to overlook the significance of Alain Locke in pragmatism, preferring instead the stolid rhetoric of canonical figures—like John Dewey or Josiah Royce—who held incomplete (racially excluding) democratic visions. Carter and Harris have compiled an array of primary texts and secondary reflections that demonstrate the innovative foresight and conceptual resources held in Alain Locke’s philosophy, with the power awaken us from our Obama-era lullabies and convey to us the seriousness and assiduity needed to achieve an actual cosmopolitan vision. -- Tommy J. Curry, Texas A&M University
The very title of the work, Philosophic Values and World Citizenship: Locke to Obama and Beyond indicates both the newness and significance of the subject matter of this interesting book. The United States, with its long (and at times savage) history of anti-black racism elected its first African American president, Barack Obama, almost two years ago. Alain Locke, the first African American Rhodes scholar and Harvard PhD in philosophy, played a central role in what came to be called the Harlem Renaissance, that most pivotal movement and moment in the development of African American self consciousness?that moment when black people first interrogated themselves publically, politically, and artistically and constructed images of themselves individuallyand collectively. The subject matter then of this book is nothing less than a comprehensive exploration of the many ways in which Locke's portrayal of the dignity and complexity of African American culture contributed not only to the development of African American self consciousness but also to the transformation of American culture resulting, indirectly to be sure, in the election our nation's first African American president. The essays that comprise this volume are all well written and will without d -- Pat Goodin, Howard University
A wonderful combination of four major essays by Locke and nine excellent and mostly original essays by both established and younger scholars, which demonstrate Locke's contemporary relevance and historical and thematic ties between his work and various philosophical traditions, including pragmatism, critical theory, and Latin American philosophy. This volume adds significantly to the growing body of literature establishing Locke's well-deserved place in the canon of American philosophy. -- Kenneth Stikkers, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
The very title of the work, Philosophic Values and World Citizenship: Locke to Obama and Beyond indicates both the newness and significance of the subject matter of this interesting book. The United States, with its long (and at times savage) history of anti-black racism elected its first African American president, Barack Obama, almost two years ago. Alain Locke, the first African American Rhodes scholar and Harvard PhD in philosophy, played a central role in what came to be called the Harlem Renaissance, that most pivotal movement and moment in the development of African American self consciousness—that moment when black people first interrogated themselves publically, politically, and artistically and constructed images of themselves individually and collectively. The subject matter then of this book is nothing less than a comprehensive exploration of the many ways in which Locke's portrayal of the dignity and complexity of African American culture contributed not only to the development of African American self consciousness but also to the transformation of American culture resulting, indirectly to be sure, in the election our nation's first African American president. The essays that comprise this volume are all well written and will without doubt make important contributions to the field of Locke scholarship and to the understanding of African thought and culture in general. -- Pat Goodin, Howard University
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Part 2 Part One. Value Chapter 3 Moral Imperatives for World Order Chapter 4 Unity through Diversity: A Bahá'í Principle Chapter 5 Chapter One. Culture and the Kalos: Inquiry, Justice, and Value in Locke and Aristotle Chapter 6 Chapter Two. Aesthetic Evaluations of Realist Drama Chapter 7 Chapter Three. The Axiological Turn in Early Twentieth Century American Philosophy: Alain Locke and José Vasoconcelos on Epistemology, Value, and the Emotions Chapter 8 Chapter Four. Conundrum of Cosmopolitanism and Race: The Great Debate between Alain Locke and William James Part 9 Part Two. Tolerance Chapter 10 A Functional View of Value Ultimates Chapter 11 Chapter Five. A Functional Peace in This World: Farmer and Locke on the Challenges of Truly Post-War Hope Chapter 12 Chapter Six. Beyond Repressive Tolerance: Alain Locke's Hermeneutics of Democracy and Tolerance in Conversation with Herbert Marcuse and H.G. Gadamer Chapter 13 Chapter Seven. Multicultural Education, Metaphysics, and Alain Locke's Post Metaphysical Alternative Chapter 14 Chapter Eight. Unlikely Allies: Nietzsche, Locke, and Counter-Hegemonic Transformation of Consciousness Part 15 Part Three. Cosmopolitanism Chapter 16 World Citizenship: Mirage or Reality? Chapter 17 Chapter Nine. Cosmopolitanism and Epideictic Rhetoric Chapter 18 Chapter Ten. What Difference Does the Difference Make?: Horace Kallen, Alain Locke and the Birth of Cultural Pluralism Chapter 19 Chapter Eleven. Ethnocentric Representations and Being Human in a Multiethnic Global World: Alain Locke Critique Chapter 20 Chapter Twelve. Global Citizenship through Reciprocity: Alain Locke and Barack Obama's Pragmatist Politics Chapter 21 Chapter Thirteen. New Moral Imperatives for World Order: Alain Locke on Pluralism and Relativism
