The Pride of the City and the Audacity of the Philosopher

Volume 12|Issue 45| Summer 2023 |Articles

Abstract

This research paper aims to examine the conflictual relationship between the philosopher and the city (state) from a specific point of view related to the collision of two identities: an identity driven by the mind and obsessed with the search for truth and its politics, and the identity of a political authority. It is about placing the same philosophy in a city whose whims and interests are disguised as social norms and religious symbols. In order to address this problem, we will stop at the first moment, at the collision of philosophical thought and authoritarian action in the public space, by reading Hannah Arendt's book "On Politics and Promise". And we will show that the rivalry between philosophy and politics is a dispute over who governs the idea and manages the action in the city. As for the second moment, we will talk about Sartre's philosophical commitment and its requirements, and we will follow up on his free relationship. In conclusion, we analyze the problem in the present of our cities today, which are collapsing before our eyes, to conclude that the commitment of the philosopher in our times is more difficult than the commitment of his predecessors, because he faces new and postmodern forms of control, regulation, and violence, and remains exposed to danger even when he is in the furthest possible isolation. In the present  discussion, there is a bet that the philosopher is destined to begin again, despite the pains, and tribulations that accompany the resumption of his discourse.

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Researcher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Sfax, Tunisia. He is interested in globalization studies and the new globalization as well as issues in anthropology and sociology. He has published on the works of Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt.

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