Agnes Heller

Theory of Need in Marx

A Theory of History

An Ethics of Personality

Renaissance Man

The basic discoveries underlying Marx's critique of political economy labour power, surplus value, use value are all in some way built upon the concept of need. From Marx's varying and passing interpretations of a theory of need, Agnes Heller unravels the main tendencies and demonstrates the importance which Marx attached to the ""restructuring"" of a system of needs going beyond the purely material. She also brings out those aspects, especially the idea of ""radical needs"" which point to revolutionary activity and to the project which Marx could only foresee but which for us today is of real urgency- the ""society of associated producers"". Thus Agnes Heller's study is not only the first full presentation of a fundamental aspect of Marx, but the basis for a discussion of the utmost contemporary relevance.

The Theory of Need in Marx

First published in 1985, this book provides a stimulating series of inter-connected essays which address the theme of shame, which, unlike the problem of conscience, has been seldom discussed by moral philosophers. The essays focus on the ethical regulation of human action and judgement, examining both its constant and varying elements and concentrating on contemporary types of moral regulation. Professor Heller uses Aristotelian categories, such as the good life, in her discourse to present a new conception of rationality, distinguishing between shame regulation and conscience regulation of moral conduct, and arguing that shame regulation cannot be completely overcome even in an age of rationalism.

A Rational Perspective

Routledge Revivals: The Power of Shame (1985)

Aesthetics and Modernity brings together Agnes Heller's most recent essays on aesthetic genres such as painting, music, literature and comedy, aesthetic reception and embodiment in the context of the continuing pitfalls of modernity. The essays also throw light on Heller's theories of values, emotions and feelings, embodiment, and modernity. Those with an interest in philosophy, critical theory, aesthetics, and social theory will find this collection illuminating, and an essential addition to any philosophy bookshelf.

Essays

Aesthetics and Modernity

Ferenc Fehér

"1989 marked not only the end of communism but also the beginning of a drastic change of pattern in modern politics. The authors analyse an emerging new type of political activity which they call "biopolitics". They trace back its origins, first, to the promises modernity made about the "liberation of the Body" and the fusion of the corporeal and the spiritual which have never been kept. In the second place, they connect it with certain failed hopes and perspectives of the Enlightenment and the dominant models of politics in the nineteenth century as well as with the "end of the grand narrative". In the main, they derive the rise of biopolitics from the weakening of class politics and its vocabulary, the transition from a class-based politics to the politicization of the Body (as well as from additional contingent factors, such as the appearance of the AIDS epidemics and the petering out of the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s)." "They investigate the difficult coexistence of the values of freedom and life in biopolitics in four major areas: health, environment, sex (gender) and race. On the basis of a rich material, taken from both the major analysts of modernity and the present-day discussion of biopolitics in the media, the authors try to set up a preliminary balance of the pros and cons presented by the new phenomenon." "Although they accept the "language of difference" in which the movements of biopolitics predominantly articulate their programme, the authors argue for a minimalist conception of universalism and for dialogue, against the self-closure of the movements which inevitably generates violence and closes the avenues of reconciliation."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Biopolitics

Immortal Comedy is the first book to 'think' philosophically about the comic phenomenon in general. Although author Agnes Heller had written a book that is both deeply scholarly and meditative on the subject of the comic form in film, literature, and life her writing is eminently approachable. In both its subject and style, Immortal Comedy is a seminal book. In it, Heller takes us on a journey through theories of comedy beginning with classical thought. She then detours through foundational political thinkers who refer to, for instance, laughter and power. We are also introduced to modern systematic approaches to thinking comedy, psychological approaches, and existential approaches. The discerning combination of Heller's individual taste for the pantheon of comedic work and, also, what critics may consider 'less significant' work gives this book a character apart from all others. It is the detail with which Heller makes her discussion, how and where she locates 'the comic,' and probably most significantly her discussion of comedy and our own lives that makes Immortal Comedy a principal book for the entire range of humanities scholars and enthusiasts.

The Comic Phenomenon in Art, Literature, and Life

The Immortal Comedy

This book is the first attempt to think philosophically about the comic phenomenon in literature, art, and life. Working across a substantial collection of comic works author Agnes Heller makes seminal observations on the comic in the work of both classical and contemporary figures. Whether she's discussing Shakespeare, Kafka, Rabelais, or the paintings of Brueghel and Daumier Heller'sImmortal Comedy makes a characteristic contribution to modern thought across the humanities.

Immortal Comedy

Fra utopi til dystopi - hvad kan vi ønske os?

A Theory of Feelings examines the problem of human feelings, widely understood, from phenomenological, analytic, and historical perspectives. It begins with an analysis of drives and affects, and pursues the nature of 'feeling' itself, in all of its variability, through a close study of the distinctive categories of emotions, emotional dispositions, orientive feelings, and the passions. As such, the starting point of the anlysis entails an examination of the characteristics of human involvement, or our ways of being in the world. Building upon this assessment of the conditions of human involvement, the philosophical history and emotional economy characteristic of modern relationships is treated, and the nature of expression, social division, suffering, and responsibility is evaluated in light of the theory of feeling presented here. The book is recommended to anyone interested in philosophy, psychology, sociology, and cognitive science.

A Theory of Feelings

A Short History of My Philosophy is an autobiographic account of Agnes Heller's intellectual and academic career. It traces the development of ideas and gives a thorough account of some of Agnes Heller's most influential works.

A Short History of My Philosophy

A Philosophy of History in Fragments

This authoritative survey traces the development of LukAcs' thought from his conversion to Marxism to his renunciation of History and Class Consciousness, from his remarkably fertile 'essay period' to the Ontology, The essays explore the evolution of his work in relation to that of his contemporaries, among them Brecht, Bloch, and Husserl. They reflect at every turn the contributors' broad commitment to LukAcs' philosophy, but they are always critical in their approach. LukAcs' ambiguities are noted without compromise and his inconsistencies deftly exposed.

Lukcs Reappraised

The Time Is Out of Joint presents an examination of Shakespeare's distinctly modern confrontation with time and temporality, the difference between the truth of the fact, that of theory, and that of interpretation and revelatory truth, and finds that Shakespeare anticipated post-metaphysical philosophy and its central concerns at a time when modern metaphysics had not yet reached it speak. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Shakespeare as Philosopher of History

The Time is Out of Joint

Rainer Bauböck

Immigration from diverse origins has not only changed the social composition of highly industrialized societies. It has also profoundly affected their cultural identities. Nations originating from immigration, such as the USA, Australia or Israel, have reluctantly abandoned the vision of a melting pot wherein all ethnic origins would be transformed into a homogeneous national identity. But will common citizenship be sufficient to integrate an ethnic mosaic? Many European societies have traditionally identified the political nation with specific ethnic traditions. How much cultural adaptation can they expect from immigrants and how open are their national cultures for accommodating the immigrant experience? Ten authors address these questions. There is a common denominator: Cultural diversity resulting from immigration is neither seen as inherently desirable nor as a problem to be overcome, but rather as a challenge to which liberal democracies have not yet responded adequately.

Integration and Pluralism in Societies of Immigration

The Challenge of Diversity

This book details the history of the concept of the beautiful, starting with a distinction between the 'warm' metaphysics of beauty and the 'cold' one modeled on Plato's Janus-faced relationship to beauty, and ending with a fragmented yet hopeful vision propagated by the likes of Nietzsche, Benjamin, and Adorno. The most important intellectual figures to write about beauty in Western metaphysics and in the post-metaphysical age are examined in this book.

Agnes Heller

Books

Your next favorite book is out there