Philosophers to Form Global Policy in 2018

Skeptics tend to despise this field as useless. “What does it mean?”, they ask, collecting shoulders for the greatest ideas in human history. In addition to the intellectual pursuit of truth and so forth, an important element of philosophy is that it shapes the world around us: social instincts and political ideas are often an expression of theories originally introduced in the books of philosophy.

This is not just an ancient tendency, but an ongoing modern phenomenon. Global leaders and ideologists of the masses continue to refer to philosophers as inspiration behind their political ideas. France's President Emmanuel Macron spent years working with a philosopher, while the American nationalist movement Altight also has its own philosophical heroes. For those hoping to make sense of politics in 2018, here are some of the philosophers worth knowing.

France: Paul Ritchie 

The frequent use of expression “in même times” (“and at the same time” is a reflection of the influence of Paul Rec ur. The philosopher, known as one of the greatest French thinkers of the 20th century, was known for his dialectic opinion. Instead of presenting a fiery thought, Ricçur (who died in 2005), he tended to accept two conflicting views and try to reconcile them.

Before Macro became a politician, he spent two years working with Ricçur, and the philosophy's opinion is obvious, the way Macron does politics. The French president is extremely pragmatistic and does not stand behind any political ideology. Macro seems perfectly happy to take into account ideas from the right and the left, which makes it difficult to predict how he will react to events that unfold.

China: Confucius

Xi Jinping, leader of China, is a fiery fan of the ancient philosopher Confucius. As China's political and global power grows, those hoping to understand Xi politics would do well to take a look at the 2,500-year Confucian philosophical school.

Much of Xi's interest in Confucianism is opportunistic, argues Bryan Van Norden, professor of philosophy at Yale College - NUS. He sometimes quotes the Confucian classics in the same way as some cynical American politicians quote the Bible”, writes Van Norden. Because Confucianism is pathetic, Xi promotes it in order to give the people of China a set of values to believe, which he hopes will encourage their belief”.

Most people in China are no longer loyal to communist values, says Van Norden, and Xi uses Confucianism to encourage honoring authority. This is a misunderstanding, he notes, because “Confucius highlights governance through conviction”, and always has “the happiness of the common people” as the final goal.

That said, Xi seems to really share some Confucian ideas. As Van Norden writes in his book “The retake of philosophy: A Multicultural Manifestion”, Confucius strongly believed in the importance of the integrity of public officials. Xi, on the other hand, has led an anti-corruption campaign.

However, Van Norden suggests that Confucius' strong support from Xi cannot lead to the submission he wants: “classics are classics for a reason, and if rulers encourage people to read them, they cannot be satisfied with the heroic ideals the classics inspire”, he writes. In fact, historically, confucius scholars have often opposed government Orthodoxies.

Russia: Alexandre Dugin

He may not be a good philosopher, but the man known as Putin's “Turrus, of course, considers himself a philosopher. Dugin makes a suspicious interpretation of Martin Heidegger to argue strongly against the acceptance and use of technology.

A huge fan of American President Donald Trump, whom he calls the American “Putine”, Dugin also believes there must be some world powers and that Russia should lead the bloc that once covered the Soviet Union. This Russian territory would protect hierarchy, tradition and strict legal structure throughout its region, while North America and Europe could continue with liberalisation, individual rights and free markets. Dugin believes the nationalist policies of Trump are appropriate for such developments and considers it a positive opponent of the liberal global elite.

Dugin's writings are inconsistent, to the point of passing on evil, and the degree of its influence is uncertain. But whether Russian President Vladimir Putin carefully reads Dugin's work, the philosopher certainly has a high profile within Russia.

European Union: Jürgen Haberma

European Union leaders should not read among philosophical lines: One of the 20th century's great thinkers is still alive, now 88, and writes about the European Union (on other topics).

Jürgen Habermas is a member of the Frankfurt School, a group of influential thinkers, whose members include Herbert Marcuse (the intellectual character of American hippies, recently present at the Hail Caesar of the Coen Brothers), Walter Benjamin (one of the most influential cultural theories of all time), and Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer (the frontend of which “Dialcate of Iluminism” is the main text of the Frankfurt School).

Haberma believes that a functioning EU would be a powerful form of democracy in its behalf. He is angry with political elites and institutions (such as the European Council), which he believes are using uncontrolled power. Haberma is a careful critic who is deeply concerned about the European Union ideals. His work shows how much we would lose if the EU failed.

Alt Right: Nick Land

The nationalist white group, sometimes known as Alt Wright, is not an enlightened political movement, but is still influenced by philosophy. Various tribes of the alt right ideology take from a neo-fascist philosophy of the 1990s, created by British academic Nick Land and known as Dark Illuminati.

The philosophy, also known among several leaders of Silicon Valley, has been described as a “acceleration of capitalism to a fascist point”, and its ideas focus on technology, war, fedalism, corporate power and racism. Throughout history, fascists have distorted ideas in philosophical acts to serve their purpose, and Dark Enlightenment is the latest example of such a phenomenon.

The philosophy has a reputation for standing within the ivory tower, but its ideas inform and shape the views of those who have power.

Philosophers, such as Confucius, Riesse, and Habermas, are worth reading simply because they are interesting. Today, it is also valuable to read through the lens of inspired political philosophies.

If you have finished reading this article, you would do well to consider who will shape Kosovo politics for 2018.

Source Layer: Quartz