Thinking after Europe: Jan Patočka and Politics

Abstract

Jan Patočka, perhaps more so than any other philosopher in the twentieth century, managed to combine intense philosophical insight with a farsighted analysis of the idea and challenges facing Europe as a historical, cultural and political signifier. As a political dissident in communist Czechoslovakia he also became a moral and political inspiration to a generation of Czechs, including Václav Havel. He accomplished this in a time of intense political repression when not even the hint of a unified Europe seemed visible by showing in exemplary fashion how concrete thought can be without renouncing in any way its depth.

Europe as an idea and a political project is a central issue in contemporary political theory. Patočka’s political thought offers many original insights into questions surrounding the European project. Here, for the first time, a group of leading scholars from different disciplines gathers together to discuss the specific political impact of Patočka’s philosophy and its lasting significance.

• Book Type: Edited Book
• Online Publication Date: Aug 1, 2016
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jan 30, 2018
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• ISBN: 9781783486847
• Keywords: Patočka, politics, dissidence, phenomenology, continental philosophy
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/923826
• Publisher URL: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781783486847/Thinking-After-Europe-Jan-Patocka-and-Politics
• Contract Date: Jan 30, 2018