Alienation and Freedom

by Schmitt,Richard

• ISBN13: 9780813328539
• ISBN10: 0813328535
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2002-08-21
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Drawing from existentialism, feminism, the thought of Karl Marx and novelists like Dostoevsky, Richard Schmitt looks at modern capitalist societies to understand what it is that might be wrong for individuals. His concern focuses specifically on those who are alienated-- those persons who have difficulty finding meaning in their lives, who lack confidence in themselves and trust in others and, finally, who are constantly distracted by consumer society. He explores how and why alienation occurs. From friendship, love, and work,Alienation and Freedomtouches on issues meaningful to us all.

Author Biography

Richard Schmitt is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Brown University. He now teaches at Assumption, Becker and Worcester State Colleges as an adjunct. Born in Germany, of Jewish parentage, he arrived in the United States in 1946. Best known for his introductory texts to Heidegger and to Marx and Engels, he has written widely about existentialism and political philosophy. Alienation—a topic at the intersection of Existentialism and Political Philosophy—has been a lifelong concern of his.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Alienation and Freedom	p. 1
Alienation	p. 1
Freedom	p. 12
Some Serious Reservations	p. 14
Notes	p. 16
The History of the Concept of Alienation	p. 17
Rousseau	p. 18
Kierkegaard	p. 23
Marx	p. 29
Nietzsche	p. 32
Is Alienation Real?	p. 37
Summary	p. 40
Notes	p. 40
Alienation and the Human Condition	p. 41
Misunderstandings of Alienation	p. 41
Alienation and Its Precondition	p. 45
Alienation and Specific Life Tasks	p. 52
Recognition Is Central to Being Oneself	p. 68
Who's to Blame? Alienation and Luck	p. 75
What, Then, Is Alienation?	p. 76
Notes	p. 78
The Social Roots of Alienation	p. 79
Emma Bovary: Life in the Market Society	p. 81
That Was Then	p. 92
Summary	p. 109
Notes	p. 111
Alienation Limits Freedom	p. 113
Conceptions of Freedom	p. 115
External and Internal Constraints	p. 117
No Freedom for the Alienated	p. 120
Examples of Alienation	p. 120
A Serious Objection	p. 123
The Difficulty of Choosing One's Own Good	p. 125
Capitalism and Political Freedom	p. 130
Conclusion	p. 133
Notes	p. 134
References	p. 135
Recommended Reading	p. 141
Index	p. 143
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