Justice in reality: overcoming moral relativism in Luc Boltanski’s pragmatic sociology of critique

Abstract: This Introduction contains a brief summary of the key themes, issues, and controversies covered in each of the following chapters.

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Abstract: Denne artikel diskuterer, hvilket substantielt indhold nutidens fordring om autentisk selvrealisering forbindes med. Praemissen for artiklen er, at autentisk selvrealisering er blevet sa vaesentlig en del af samtidens kulturelle opsaetning, at dets eksekvering blandt vestlige individer opfattes som et krav og som det hojeste princip i nutidens livsforelse. Det forhold synes at have en afsmittende effekt pa samtidens politikforelse, okonomiperception og relation til forstaelsen af, hvad et arbejde er. Som analytisk forankringspunkt for denne begrebsudfyldning stotter jeg mig hovedsagelig til Luc Boltanski og Eve Chiapellos magnum opus Le Nouvel Esprit du Capitalisme (1999). Boltanski & Chiapellos vaerk giver nemlig en fremragende indgang til en anskuelse af nutidens autenticitetsforstaelse som socialisationsbaerende. Boltanski & Chiapellos forstaelse af autenticitetsbegrebet i samtidens kapitalisme er nemlig ikke kun okonomisk determineret, men i hoj grad socialt og kulturelt funderet. Derfor kan de ikke alene anskue kapitalismen som samfundsmaessig integrationskraft, men ogsa analysere autentisk selvrealisering som forudsaetning for normativ socialisation. Men deres autenticitetsforstaelse mangler en analyse af de skyggesider, som begrebet kan siges at hjemsoges af. Artiklen viser derfor, hvordan samtidens autenticitetsforstaelse kan opfattes som manifestation af et blidt barbari, hvis socialisationsbaerende indhold ogsa kan opfattes som indskraenkende, manipulerende og snaevert ensidigt, med en raekke individuelle konsekvenser til folge. ENGELSK ABSTRACT: Anders Petersen: Authenticity in the New Spirit of Capitalism – Manifestation of Gentle Barbarity Authentic self-realization has become a very well integrated part of western societies, that is, it has become a central marker of socialization. In this article I discuss the content of the concept of authentic self-realization. I attempt to describe this by following the work of Luc Boltanski & Eve Chiapello (1999), who developed the concept of authentic self-realization in the new spirit of capitalism as a key component of their analysis. By following their conceptualisation, I go on to discuss how active realization of the authentic self in the new spirit of capitalism is an institutionalized claim, which is expected to be converted into praxis. In their analysis, however, they do not pay sufficient attention to the numerous shady sides of this claim to authentic self-realization. In this article I point out what one might call the gentle barbarism of this claim, that is, the one-sided, deeply narrowing and manipulative character of the acclaimed content of authentic self-realization. Key words: Authentic self-realization, socialization, new spirit of capitalism, gentle barbarism.