Für den metaethischen Realismus sind Werteigenschaften wie die Vortrefflichkeit ein irreduzibler Teil der subjektunabhängigen Welt. Obwohl sich diese Position in den letzten Jahren zunehmender Beliebtheit erfreut, bleibt die Frage nach der Ontologie dieser Eigenschaften meist ausgeklammert. Der Magnetismus des Guten diskutiert eine philosophiegeschichtlich höchst einflussreiche, in der zeitgenössischen Metaethik jedoch weitgehend vernachlässigte Antwort auf diese Frage: den metanormativen Platonismus. Ihm zufolge ist das Gutsein im Sinne der Vortrefflichkeit nichts anderes als ein bestimmtes In-Beziehung-Stehen zu einem Ideal. Verschiedene Formen dieser Theorie (...) lassen sich anhand zweier Fragen unterscheiden. Erstens, ist das Ideal selbst normativ irreduzibel? Zweitens, muss es personal oder nicht-personal verstanden werden? Anhand von Studien zu Platon, Plotin, Iris Murdoch und Robert Adams untersucht Der Magnetismus des Guten den Platonismus in seinen verschiedenen Varianten auf seine Erklärungskraft. Das Buch stellt damit zugleich die erste historisch informierte systematische Rekonstruktion der Normativitätstheorie des Platonismus dar.­­. (shrink)

The threat of terrorism once again raises some of the classic questions about constitutionalism: is it possible for constitutions to do what they aim to do—channel and control political power in such a way as to make it safe and beneficent for those under its rule but also competent to govern? Does not terrorism reraise the Schmittian problem of “the exception”, i.e., the situation of emergency that necessarily escapes all constitutional limitations? Although they did not face the problem of terrorism (...) as we know it, the American founders developed three different models of constitutionalism, embodying three different ways of responding to emergent circumstances and yet remaining bound to the constitutionalist aspiration. We develop the main outlines of the three models both conceptually and historically and show how they continue to be relevant to current discussions of constitutionalism in the age of terror. Finally, we make a tentative effort to judge which of the three models is most able to do what constitutions should do in difficult times. (shrink)

This article examines the notion of abandonment put forward in several works of spirituality. More specifically, it examines the meaning of the term “abandon” in two Catholic Christian mystics who marked history : Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) and Madame Guyon (1648-1717). Using two fundamental texts by these authors, and according to a three-part analysis grid (abandonment in relation to oneself, to God and to the other), the article shows that the nuanced intricacies of the concept vary according to several factors (...) and can hardly be reduced to a single definition. For instance, while in Foucauld, abandonment tends to result in intense external practice and a call to follow the example of Jesus, in Guyon, abandonment refers rather to an inner experience and a willingness to share this experience. The search also reveals a historical link between the two mystics, that being the book The Abandonment to Divine Providence. In conclusion, the article suggests a way of thinking about Alexandre Jollien’s contemporary notion of abandonment. (shrink)

Opaque value chains as well as environmental, ethical and health issues and food scandals are decreasing consumer trust in conventional agriculture and the dominant food system. As a result, critical consumers are increasingly turning to community-supported agriculture (CSA) to reconnect with producers and food. CSA is often perceived as a more sustainable, localized mode of food production, providing transparent production or social interaction between consumers and producers. This enables consumers to observe where their food is coming from, which means CSA (...) is considered suitable for building trust in food (production). However, it remains unclear how exactly members’ trust in ‘their’ farmers is built. To determine the factors that predict members’ trust in CSA and its farmers, and the importance of these factors when compared to each other, we conducted a quantitative study among CSA members in Germany and applied a multiple regression model (n = 790). The analysis revealed that trust in CSA and its farmers is influenced by “reputation”, “supply of information”, “direct social interaction” and the “duration of CSA membership”. Other factors such as the “certification status of the CSA farm” and “attitudes toward organic certification” did not significantly predict trust. We conclude that producers’ willingness to be transparent already signals trustworthiness to CSA members and is more important to members than formal signals. Other actors within the food system could learn from CSA principles and foster a transition toward a more regionalized value-based food system to help restore agriculture’s integrity. (shrink)