Philosopher
of the Month
May
2003 - Charles Taylor
Dene
Baker
Charles
Taylor's Sources of the Self established him as one of the
paradigm figures of contemporary philosophy. Sources of the Self
is a rarity in that it is a book of philosophy that achieved a wide
readership outside of philosophical circles, as did his The Ethics
of Authenticity, an extended version of the 1991 Massey lectures
which were broadcast in November 1991 as part of CBC Radio's Ideas
series.
It
is a vital part of understanding Taylor's approach to keep in mind
that he is part of what is often called the 'neo-Aristotelian revival',
a school of thought that has arisen, as much as for any other reason,
out of a perceived failure of ethical thought in the post-Enlightenment
world. Taylor's specific approach to this often focuses on a rejection
of what he calls 'naturalism', 'by which I mean not just the view
that man can be seen as part of nature - in one sense or other this
would surely be accepted by everyone - but that the nature of which
he is a part is to be understood according to the canons which emerged
in the seventeenth-century revolution in natural science' (Philosophy
and the Human Sciences). Indeed, Taylor calls himself a monomaniac
in this regard, and Isaiah Berlin labeled him a 'hedgehog' because
of this consistent basis to Taylor's broad-ranging philosophy.
In
taking on 'naturalism' in its various forms, Taylor perceives himself
as challenging one of the key sources of what he calls the 'modern
malaise', which manifests itself primarily in a 'centring on the
self, which both flattens and narrows our lives, makes them poorer
in meaning, and less concerned with others or society' (The Ethics
of Authenticity), and which can lead even further to a disorientating
dislocation from those things that give our lives meaning and sense.
In
Sources of the Self, Taylor argues that the self is essentially
defined by its relation to the framework of goods that define the
'good life' (in the Aristotelian sense) for that self. Further,
these moral frameworks are presided over by 'hypergoods', which
are 'goods which not only are incomparably more important than others
but provide the standpoint from which these must be weighed, judged,
decided about'.
Taylor
then goes on to develop a magnificent account of the philosophical
sources of the modern Western self, starting with Plato's self-mastery
and working his way through to what he calls the 'epiphanies of
modernism'. Taylor's efforts at 'philosophical archaeology' in Sources
of the Self follow from his claim that articulation of the self's
sources is an essential part of the antidote to the malaise of modernity.
Taylor
has been described as a paradigm case of a 'post-analytic' philosopher
- someone who retains the rigour and clarity characteristic of the
analytic tradition, but draws on sources and addresses subjects
that fall beyond the analytic-continental divide. He is particularly
noteworthy for his willingness to move beyond the ahistorical ethos
characteristic of analytic analysis. While some of the continental
influences on Taylor are fairly obvious, such as Hegel, it is interesting
to note that he has also been influenced by the work of phenomenologist
Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
The
political has long been a central focus of activity for Taylor.
Taylor has spent a great deal of time and effort in a struggle to
prevent the breakup of the Canadian federation, both through his
position as a philosopher, and through direct political involvement
in the New Democratic Party.
One
of the key assumptions that characterises Taylor's political philosophy
is that the age of modernity and post-modernity is a pluralistic
age. Taylor criticises contemporary philosophers such as Jürgens
Habermas and John Rawls whom he believes have failed to take it
sufficiently into account. In his paper 'Multiculturalism and the
Politics of Recognition', Taylor in one sense takes on a communitarian
point of view by claiming that it is essential to human identity
that one's community be recognised both politically and socially,
and he warns that certain forms of political liberalism endanger
that recognition and promote homogeneity rather than recognising
plurality. However this plurality is not something Taylor thinks
we must simply accept at face value. Taylor argues for the possibility
of a transvaluation of goods that would open the way for a reconciliation
of the demands of pluralism, which he believes can be achieved through
what he calls a language of perspicuous contrast. He argues that
we cannot assume that all cultures are intrinsically valuable, and
we must instead work towards a 'fusion of horizons' that grows out
of recognising the qualitative contrast between cultures.
Strangely,
Taylor has not attained as wide a degree of recognition as the quality
of his work would seem to justify. Nonetheless, he has been strongly
praised by some of the foremost philosophers of our day. The late
Isaiah Berlin said, 'whatever one may think of his central beliefs,
[they] cannot fail to broaden the outlook of anyone who reads his
works or listens to his lectures or, indeed, talks to him' (Philosophy
in an Age of Pluralism).
Suggested
Reading
Sources of the Self, Charles Taylor (Harvard University
Press)
The Ethics of Authenticity, Charles Taylor
Philosophy in an Age of Pluralism: The Philosophy of Charles
Taylor in Question, ed. J Tully (Cambridge University Press)
A
new philosopher of the month will be featured early June 2003
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