The Emergence of Dialectical Theory: Philosophy and Political Inquiry

by Scott Warren

Scott Warren’s ambitious and enduring work sets out to resolve the ongoing identity crisis of contemporary political inquiry. In the Emergence of Dialectical Theory , Warren begins with a careful analysis of the philosophical foundations of dialectical theory in the thought of Kant, Hegel, and Marx. He then examines how the dialectic functions in the major twentieth-century philosophical movements of existentialism, phenomenology, neomarxism, and critical theory. Numerous major and minor philosophers are discussed, but the emphasis falls on two of the greatest dialectical thinkers of the previous Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Jürgen Habermas. Warren’s shrewd critique is indispensable to those interested in the history of social and political thought and the philosophical foundations of political theory. His work offers an alternative for those who find postmodernism to be at a philosophical impasse.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

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Reviews

[Alexander Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three things about this book that make it interesting and surprising that basically nobody seems to remember it exists:

1. This book summarizes the relationship between a dominant development of German idealism to Marxist materialism in a way that's so straightforward that that alone makes this book great as an intro reading on the subject.

2. This book simply clarifies the distinct histories of dialectic knowledge relative to positivist knowledge that is core to many continental theoretical traditions today.

3. This book connects phenomenology and Marxist thinking in a unique way that supports anyone who is interested in either and energizes the discussion.

More people should read this book.