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Item Open Access Virtues in a post-traditional society(University of the Free State, 2014) Giddy, PatrickThe shift from a customary, tradition-based society to a commercial and law-based one issues in an oppositional dialectic that pits a reactionary conservatism against a dogmatic individualism prioritising rights. Clark (2002) claims that the conditions of the new impersonal bureaucracy fail the basic needs of the human psyche for bonding and meaning. I argue, however, that the values associated with this modern society, namely equality, fairness and individual autonomy, are the internal goods of this particular “social practice” (in MacIntyre’s sense), and hence virtuous participation in such a practice can be regarded as implicit in this outlook. What prevents this being explicit is the blind spot about agency that characterises modern global culture. A recent example of this can be seen in attempts to re-think ethics and religion ‘naturalistically’.Item Open Access Unexpected convergence: the Huntington/Fukuyama debate(University of the Free State, 2014) Georghiou, CostaTwo theories that have drawn particular attention in international politics, especially to explain global post-Cold War developments, are those of Huntington’s (1993) Clash of civilizations and Fukuyama’s (1992) The end of history and the last man. There is a great deal of literature on the mutually contradictory views of these two authors; however, the literature hardly mentions the actual unexpected areas of convergence between these two theorists, which this article aims to draw out. Four pertinent questions addressed by Huntington and Fukuyama are considered, namely the universality of Western civilisation; the role of the state; modernisation versus Westernisation, and worldwide acceptance or rejection of liberal democracy, as they relate specifically to the central aim of this article. It is precisely because of their differences, that these two distinct theories are now presenting themselves as alternatives in international relations: one can either see the world to be developing toward its final liberal democratic destination, or, alternatively on a multi-polar, civilisation-divergent course. As the search for a single paradigm within debates on international relations continues, a convergence between two major theories, such as these, is important, as they provide one more step toward consensus between opposing views on international political developments.Item Open Access A report on ubuntu by Leonhard Praeg(University of the Free State, 2014) Molefe, MotsamaiAbstract not availableItem Open Access Inside African anthropology: Monica Wilson and her interpreters by Andrew and Leslie J Bank(University of the Free State, 2014) Williams, ChristianAbstract not availableItem Open Access Baroque music, postmodern knowledge: an epistemological analysis of Susan McClary’s article “The blasphemy of talking politics during Bach Year” (1987)(University of the Free State, 2014) MacCutcheon, DouglasAn epistemological analysis is used to discuss the manner in which Susan McClary has constructed meaning around music in her article “The blasphemy of talking politics during Bach Year” (1987). McClary’s article shows the transition between modernist (‘old’) to postmodern (‘new’) musicology through a socially and politically grounded interpretation of Bach’s music, in which she engages with earlier viewpoints and legitimises her own through the construction of a micro-narrative that incorporates postmodern debates. This epistemological analysis challenges the reader to think critically about how musicological epistemology changed at the end of the previous century in order to gain insight into how the meanings that surround music are being formed in the present day, and to decide whether or not that meaning is legitimate and satisfactory.Item Open Access Critical neuroscience as an interdisciplinary tool for the investigation of neuro-matters(University of the Free State, 2014) Craffert, PieterDue to the revolution in the neurosciences and the growth in neuroscientific research, there has been a steady increase of attention on neuro-matters in science, society and culture. The brain and neuroscientific research remain at the centre of public and academic attention worldwide. Critical Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary (or better, post-disciplinary) space for the systematic exploration of neuroscientific research and neuro-matters. It is argued that Critical Neuroscience, as a recent addition to neuroscientific research, has the potential to develop as a genuine human science for the investigation of the role and influence of the brain on human phenomena. Together with the growing interest worldwide in neuroscientific research, engagement with neuro-matters in general asks for a critical engagement with one of the fastest growing areas of scientific research.Item Open Access Social action in the South African Constitution(University of the Free State, 2014) Malan, NaudéSocial action, as a key concept in social theory, is used in this article to understand the extent to which social actors can intervene in society in order to address economic inequalities. This article clarifies the place of social action in social theory and in a select number of socio-economic rights cases. These bring into view an emphasis on state, market and civil society actors, as well as individuals. The article identifies and clarifies how such actors and actions are supported and regulated by the South African rights regime. This has implications for the notion of core-content to rights and the nature of relief sought through a claim on rights; for the participation of citizens in welfare and other state programmes, and for the compensation rights-actors may expect from the state for taking social action. The article concludes by identifying key themes that concern social action in the South African rights regime.Item Open Access The ‘shifting’ nature of theory in international relations: why the future of the discipline is its Waltzian past(University of the Free State, 2014) Coetzee, Eben; Solomon, HusseinWithin the discipline of International Relations (IR), ‘new’ conceptions of theory, specifically those subscribing to, on the one hand, an inductivist and empiricist conception of theory, and, on the other hand, a conception of theory as a loose collection of variables, have ostensibly challenged the conception of theory as advanced by Kenneth Waltz. The latter’s conception of theory, deeply embedded within the philosophy-of-science literature, illustrates that the essential qualities of theories are wholly irreconcilable with the conception(s) of theory as advanced by current scholars within the discipline. Moreover, despite the commonplace assumption that scholars have transcended Waltz’s work, scholars continue, however, to err by misinterpreting him on the nature of theory and by failing to heed the explanatory benefits emanating from his conception of theory. Contra the current vogue in IR, then, we argue that the anti-Waltzian conception(s) of theory is neither particularly new nor does it bode well for the explanatory ideals of the discipline.Item Open Access Philosophical culture and Socratic criticism(University of the Free State, 2014) Allsobrook, ChristopherThe article takes issue with a dominant characterisation of Western philosophy as a culturally neutral procedural practice of rational arbitration, with reference to the position of Steven Lukes. The relationship between this meta-philosophical position and a culture-neutral normative conception of human rights is also put into question. The author not only presents a criticism of Lukes’ position, drawing on the work of the post-Marxian critical theorist Raymond Geuss, but also takes issue with the alternative philosophical tradition of Socratic criticism, which Geuss holds up as an alternative to the pure normative standpoint of applied philosophical ethics (the basis for Lukes’ account of human rights). To mediate between these rival views on the role and culture of philosophy, the final section of the article revisits Edmund Burke’s conservative criticism of natural rights, arguing for the necessary precedence and authority of recognised social customs for right rule, balanced by sceptical critique.