Commercium by Brian Milstein

Commercium by Brian Milstein

Since the end of the Cold War, there has been a wealth of discussion and controversy about the idea of a postnational or cosmopolitan politics. But while there are many normative theories of cosmopolitanism, as well as some cosmopolitan theories of globalization, there has been little attempt to grapple systematically with fundamental questions of structure and action from a cosmopolitan point of view. Drawing on Kant s cosmopolitan writings and Habermas s critical theory of society, Brian Milstein argues that, before we are members of nations or states, we are participants in a commercium of global interaction who are able to negotiate for ourselves the terms on which we share the earth in common with one another. He marshals a broad range of literature from philosophy, sociology, and political science to show how the modern system of sovereign nation-states destructively constrains and distorts these relations of global interaction, leading to pathologiesand crises in present-day world society.

Frankfurt critical theorists have had much to say in the last two decades about globalizationYet Brian Milstein's creative new book takes many of the debates at hand to new and higher intellectual levels. Offering creative rereadings of Kant and many other important cosmopolitan theorists, Milstein treads where many contemporary critical theorists have feared to tread: the harsh realities of our violence-prone international or interstate political system. This is an important contribution to international political and social theory. -- William E. Scheuerman, Professor of Political Science and International Studies, Indiana University
In his original and important contribution to the debate about cosmopolitanism, Brian Milstein uses Kant’s concept of “commercium” to reconstruct the many ways in which we already live in a globalized world. But one, as Milstein shows with great clarity, in which we have not yet found the legal and political forms for organizing this life in a justifiable way. This book shows the power of a critical theory that combines normative and sociological reflection. A great achievement. -- Rainer Forst, Professor of Political Theory and Philosophy, Goethe Universität, Frankfurt

Brian Milstein is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Goethe University Frankfurt. He completed his PhD at the New School for Social Research, where his dissertation was awarded the Hannah Arendt Award in Politics, and he has published articles in the European Journal of Philosophy and the European Journal of Political Theory.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781783482849
ISBN 10	1783482842
Title	Commercium
Author	Brian Milstein
Series	Reinventing Critical Theory
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Rowman & Littlefield International
Year published	2015-10-21
Number of pages	328
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable