Bøger af Dessislav Valkanov

'From Logic to Politics' is a study of a promise: the promise of philosophy as universal science that could comprehend, connect and guide, and of politics elucidated and made transparent for thinking. Hegel's Philosophy of Right is built on that promise, and set on the goal of grasping its time and providing the ground of modern politics in the idea of right. The fulfilment of this task is made possible in the light of the first, fundamental science, which for Hegel, has to replace metaphysics - the Science of Logic. This is, therefore, a study of the inner transformation of a logical doctrine into an ethico-political one. It attempts to answer the following questions: How does an onto-logical doctrine extend its central vision to the reality of human passion, action and self-interest? Can this be done and is this central vision strong enough to sustain itself in such an extension? What is the status of philosophical truth when exposed to the light, or darkness, of politics?

In this important new work on the philosophy of German Idealism, Valkanov investigates the Kantian notion of the limits of human cognition and its implication for our understanding and practice of freedom. He then turns to the question of the connection between knowledge and freedom in the philosophy of Fichte, Schelling and Hegel. Valkanov moves beyond the more traditional and formalized treatments of Kant, by applying the critical analysis of limitation, confusion and conflict to our own ways of thinking. This approach tests the stability of our conceptions and sense of certainty through a voluntary exposure to the destructive force of Kant's transcendental critique. The result is a text which presents the essence of the arguments and exposes the passion that underpins the complex terminology and architectonics of transcendental philosophy. This ground-breaking work restores a sense of wonder at the depths of Kant's transcendental discoveries, the immensity of the challenge that he posed and the intense, living connection between his work and the work of those who succeeded him.