Speaker: Michi Nanayakkara (MA Continental Philosophy)

Title: The Status of Systematic & Metaphysical Ideas in Modernity 

 Abstract:

Following the influence of Nietzsche, Marx and much of 20^th-century Continental philosophy, some say that the 21st century will go down in history as a sceptical and/or critical one (Ferrara, 1995). One could argue that the most important transformation undergone by Philosophy is the discovery of the Contextuality of knowledge. Although this might not affect all disciplines of Philosophy in the same way, the fields of Social, Political and Moral philosophy are arguably most affected. In this seminar session I’d like to consider some of the objections posed by Isiah Berlin to Political Philosophy as a discipline. Berlin asks us to rethink the way we do Political Philosophy and separate it from other forms of philosophical inquiry – especially from Moral Philosophy (1969). Simply put, Political Philosophy shouldn’t be ‘applied’ Moral Philosophy. I will discuss some of the reasons for this by critiquing ‘New Universalism’ (attempts to evaluate Universals in the light of irreducible plurality)

Moreover, I’ll discuss the status of Systematic & Metaphysical ideas that undercut the contemporary Decolonial project. What is perhaps most troubling is how these metaphysical Theses/Ideas can have socio-political and normative implications, but political critiques that target this sinister side are often dismissed. This is a problem Berlin takes on by referencing the German Poet Heine’s warnings to the French people; Do not underestimate the Power of Ideas; “When this great metaphysical rage explodes over the world, the French revolution will seem to be mere child’s play…the power of philosophical or metaphysical ideas is very great” (1969; 1976). By adopting the method Nietzsche uses to critique Western-Idealist Philosophy, I’ll attempt to pose two main objections that target Western metaphysics itself (at least I hope to do so). In turn, I’ll attempt to make the case that it is very probable that Imperialism is not a moral problem for Western-moral philosophy given its monistic and timeless presuppositions of ‘Truth’.