Against the self-images of our age: questioning the philosophy of difference

Abstract

The emphasis on human difference has been an underlying feature of philosophy at least ever since the 1960s. This paper will argue that despite the importance of some of these philosophical projects, when looking at them from the point of view of the material contradictions of today’s capitalism, they are the distorted self-images of our age. Thus, the underlying philosophical-methodological approach is rooted in historical materialism, which instructs us to look at the sphere of Geist against the key material contradictions of our age. The argument of the paper should not be seen as being based on any assertion of simple determination: our self-images of the age are not determined by the material contradictions. They should be understood dialectically. That is, the atrocities of the war and the social form of post-war capitalism created the conditions for the moral and philosophical celebration of cultural diversity and difference. Today the social form of capitalism is different. The key material contradiction of our age is the credit and fossil fuel driven system of production and consumption for the sake of limitless profit maximization which undercuts its own sustainability and threatens the survival of our natural environment. Thus, the key philosophical and political question today is not how to conceptualize difference so that the unique creative powers of individuals can be released, but how to articulate a convincing answer to the question of what the right political action ought to be.