Europe - by Jürgen Habermas (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The future of Europe and the role it will play in the 21st century are among the most important political questions of our time. The optimism of a decade ago has now faded but the stakes are higher than ever. The way these questions are answered will have enormous implications not only for all Europeans but also for the citizens of Europe's closest and oldest ally - the USA.

In this new book, one of Europe's leading intellectuals examines the political alternatives facing Europe today and outlines a course of action for the future. Habermas advocates a policy of gradual integration of Europe in which key decisions about Europe's future are put in the hands of its peoples, and a 'bipolar commonality' of the West in which a more unified Europe is able to work closely with the United States to build a more stable and equitable international order.

This book includes Habermas's portraits of three long-time philosophical companions, Richard Rorty, Jacques Derrida and Ronald Dworkin. It also includes several important new texts by Habermas on the impact of the media on the public sphere, on the enduring importance religion in "post-secular" societies, and on the design of a democratic constitutional order for the emergent world society.

From the Back Cover

The future of Europe and the role it will play in the 21st century are among the most important political questions of our time. The optimism of a decade ago has now faded but the stakes are higher than ever. The way these questions are answered will have enormous implications not only for all Europeans but also for the citizens of Europe's closest and oldest ally - the USA.

In this new book, one of Europe's leading intellectuals examines the political alternatives facing Europe today and outlines a course of action for the future. Habermas advocates a policy of gradual integration of Europe in which key decisions about Europe's future are put in the hands of its peoples, and a 'bipolar commonality' of the West in which a more unified Europe is able to work closely with the United States to build a more stable and equitable international order.

This book includes Habermas's portraits of three long-time philosophical companions, Richard Rorty, Jacques Derrida and Ronald Dworkin. It also includes several important new texts by Habermas on the impact of the media on the public sphere, on the enduring importance religion in "post-secular" societies, and on the design of a democratic constitutional order for the emergent world society.

Review Quotes

"There is something refreshingly honest about Jurgen Habermas's take on the European Union ... provide[s] illuminating accesible reflections on three of Habermas's contemporaries, Ronald Dworkin, Jacques Derrida and Richard Rorty... Europe, The Faltering Project is an engaging book that discusses with honesty the issues at the heart of the Lisbon Treaty and the future of the European Union."
Book of the day in the Irish Times

"Habermas's reflections on Richard Rorty, Jacques Derrida and Ronald Dworkin provide additional context for his later essays. But it is in the second and third parts of the book that Habermas shines most brightly."
European Voice

About the Author

Jürgen Habermas is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt and one of the most influential social and political thinkers in the world today. Polity has published his most important works in English, including Between Naturalism and Religion (2008).