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Political Action in Václav Havel's Thought
The Responsibility of Resistance
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2011
Summary
Political Action in Vaclav Havel’s Thought: The Responsibility of Resistance, by Delia Popescu, examines resistance to oppression and individual responsibility in political action, all in the context of Vaclav Havel’s political philosophy. The famous anti-communist dissident, acclaimed playwright, former President of the Czech Republic, and eminent political thinker argues that there is a certain tendency in modern humanity towards the creation, or at least toleration, of a political system that is invasive and controlling. Not unlike Tocqueville and Arendt, Havel claims that modern liberal democracy contains potential tendencies toward a new form of despotism that capitalizes on modern alienation and social atomization.
Political Action in Vaclav Havel’s Thought suggests that Havel’s theory of individual opposition can be used to secure political freedom under the conditions of modernity. Popescu demonstrates that Havel’s idea of attaining true political participation and freedom requires a strong connection between an individually constructed ethics and the realm of politics. On this basis she reveals that a thick notion of morality can be usefully integrated into an account of both private and public accountability. Vaclav Havel’s essays, plays, speeches, and letters can therefore be integrated into a coherent political theory which contributes significantly to some of the central debates in modern political thought. Delia Popescu concludes that Havel’s theory of individual opposition to totalitarianism may also serve as the foundation for a conception of responsible participation in modern liberal democracies.
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Bibliographic data
Copyright year
2011
ISBN-Print
978-0-7391-4957-7
ISBN-Online
978-0-7391-4959-1
Publisher
Lexington, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
163
Product type
Book Titles
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Contents No access
Acknowledgments No access
Introduction No access
Chapter One: The Choice to Write No access Pages 1 - 36
Chapter Two: Post-totalitarianism: Havel’s New Concept of Power No access Pages 37 - 58
Chapter Three: The Bridge of Excuses: Unraveling Identity in Havel’s Plays No access Pages 59 - 82
Chapter Four: Between Modernity and Responsibility No access Pages 83 - 104
Chapter Five: The Breakdown in Tradition: Anti-Politics in Havel’s Political Thought No access Pages 105 - 134
Chapter Six: The Dorian Gray Image of Modern Times No access Pages 135 - 152
