Cynical Suspicions and Platonist Pretentions
Author | : John McGuire |
Publisher | : BRILL |
Total Pages | : 247 |
Release | : 2018-04-03 |
ISBN-10 | : 9789004364929 |
ISBN-13 | : 9004364927 |
Rating | : 4/5 (29 Downloads) |
Download or read book Cynical Suspicions and Platonist Pretentions written by John McGuire and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-04-03 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Cynical Suspicions and Platonist Pretensions, John McGuire offers a critique of recent trends in contemporary political theory, specifically concerning the ‘dangers’ of cynicism and the contamination of public reason. In the view of many theorists and pundits, cynicism remains one of the gravest ills to befall any democratic society, injecting a virulent estrangement which leaves sufferers unable to trust elected representatives and unwilling to participate in collective action. Starting with a reconstruction of the performative and rhetorical tactics of the ‘first’ Cynic, Diogenes of Sinope (c. 323 BCE), John McGuire aims to demonstrate how cynicism’s non-defeatist, relentlessly sceptical ethos provides an important counterweight to the self-aggrandising designs of moralists and policymakers alike.