Contributions Towards a Critical History of Reason

Coordinators

Gonçalo Marcelo, Maria Luísa Portocarrero, Diogo Ferrer & João Emanuel Diogo

Synopsis

This book puts forward a set of contributions towards a conceptual history of reason in a critical and plural vein. The book puts together 16 chapters in 7 different sections, comprising the historical periods of Antiquity, Modernity and the Enlightenment, as well as several more recent approaches, such as the hermeneutical tradition, the Marxist-Hegelian approach, and Critical Theory. It also includes reflections on the locus of reason in justice and politics, and an interdisciplinary glimpse at its role in science and economics, ending with a reflection on the possible limits of reason. Thus, by providing context on the several uses and applications of the concept of reason through history, this hermeneutical effort shows the fertility of its possible meanings and explores some of its social, ethical and political implications.

Publication Date

March 10, 2025

Open access