Kritik von Lebensformen (suhrkamp taschenbuch wissenschaft)

by Rahel Jaeggi

For many liberals, the question "Do others live rightly?" feels inappropriate. Liberalism seems to demand a follow-up question: "Who am I to judge?" Peaceful coexistence, in this view, is predicated on restraint from morally evaluating our peers. But Rahel Jaeggi sees the situation differently. Criticizing is not only valid but also useful, she argues. Moral judgment is no error; the error lies in how we go about judging.

One way to judge is external, based on universal standards derived from ideas about God or human nature. The other is internal, relying on standards peculiar to a given society. Both approaches have serious flaws and detractors. In Critique of Forms of Life, Jaeggi offers a third way, which she calls "immanent" critique. Inspired by Hegelian social philosophy and engaged with Anglo-American theorists such as John Dewey, Michael Walzer, and Alasdair MacIntyre, immanent critique begins with the recognition that ways of life are inherently normative because they assert their own goodness and rightness. They also have a consistent purpose: to solve basic social problems and advance social goods, most of which are common across cultures. Jaeggi argues that we can judge the validity of a society's moral claims by evaluating how well the society adapts to crisis--whether it is able to overcome contradictions that arise from within and continue to fulfill its purpose.

Jaeggi enlivens her ideas through concrete, contemporary examples. Against both relativistic and absolutist accounts, she shows that rational social critique is possible.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Politics

452 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Rein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most intelligent, insightful and thought-provoking books in social philosophy that I have read over quite a bit of time. It is also well-written and easy to follow. Starting with the rejection of "ethical abstinence", or self-imposed prohibition on criticizing a "form of life" (or socio-cultural configuration, as I prefer to call them) that is different from one's own, Jaeggi develops a coherent theory of these forms as ensembles of practices as well as problem-solving strategies and, based on her readings of Dewey, MacIntyre and Hegel, proposes a procedure for evaluating their adequacy. Jaeggi's account does not posit an outside yardstick with which forms of life could be measured, but neither is it entirely reliant on their internal mechanisms. Instead, she argues that forms of life should be viewed as learning processes and it is precisely their capacity to learn from their failures and to solve their crises that they should be judged by.
There are several moments where Jaeggi's Hegelian sympathies put me off, as in the somewhat essentializing view that phenomena could be judged by their ability or failure to correspond to their "concept", which I see as an essentializing strategy loaded with dangers, and I am also uncomfortable with the way how morality and ethics are being viewed, but these are both singular features without which the theory still works very well, moreover, they have been inherited from the German tradition and not proposed as original contributions. Some discursive turns might have benefitted from counter-examples - it is all well to see how a situation can be interpreted in the light of what has been proposed, but often it seemed to me that an opposite example might have fared almost as well. Thus, for example, Jaeggi takes up Hegel's distinction between people who only are free and those who also know that they are free. But the argument could be turned around to say that it is better to know you are not free than think you are free when, in fact, you are not - and Jaeggi has herself argued in previous chapters that the question of freedom and agency is not describable in black-and-white terms, so that our freedom is always a balance of options and constraints.
However, it would be a bit disturbing in any case if there were nothing in a philosophy book that you would not disagree with. So, all in all, a definite recommendation to anyone interested in social philosophy or cultural theory, and a good read from cover to cover.

[Benji · Rating 5 out of 5]

The notion that history has thrown up a number of 'optimal' - optimal but mutually incompatible - ways of life is much too simple. Every way of life, every system of values, traditions, and rituals that humans have so far invented has defects as well as virtues ... Simply to declare any way of life perfect is to violate a maxim which should govern the search for truth in every area of life: do not block the path of inquiry! ... Our problem is not that we must choose from among an already fixed and defined number of optimal ways of life; our problem is that we don't even know one optimal way of life.

[Icey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the key arguments of the book is that forms of life are not simply neutral or passive structures that we inhabit, but are actively produced and reproduced through social and cultural practices. Jaeggi argues that these practices are not just descriptive or factual, but also normative, meaning that they involve implicit or explicit judgments about what is good, right, or valuable.

Jaeggi also contends that dominant theories of forms of life often fail to take into account the ways in which forms of life can be oppressive or exclusionary, particularly for marginalized groups. For example, she argues that Wittgenstein's emphasis on the idea of language games can obscure the power relations that are inherent in social practices, while Foucault's emphasis on the production of knowledge can neglect the role of affective and emotional dimensions of social life.

Overall, "Critique of Forms of Life" is a rigorous and challenging work of philosophy that engages with some of the most pressing questions of our time, including the nature of social and cultural practices, the role of power and oppression in our lives, and the possibility of social and political transformation.

[Nash Langco]

As a work in political philosophy, i have to say the author provides a very good theoretical framework to make sense of the realities of the political. I have studied extensively Rawl's thought and i'd say the author provides a compelling argument against it.

[David A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stringent und überzeugend. Wahrscheinlich die Grundlage für die nächste Generation Kritischer Theoretiker. Es führt kein Weg an einer Konzeption von Lebensformen vorbei. Must-read!

[David Arcas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno, pero denso y muy técnico.

[Dz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most insane thing I’ve ever read. Grateful to witness thought in action 🙏

[Lovis Zahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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