After The Death Of God: From Political Nihilism To Post-Foundational Democracy

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dc.contributor.advisorHorowitz, Asher
dc.creatorLewis, Clayton David
dc.date.accessioned2017-07-27T13:46:12Z
dc.date.available2017-07-27T13:46:12Z
dc.date.copyright2017-04-10
dc.date.issued2017-07-27
dc.date.updated2017-07-27T13:46:12Z
dc.degree.disciplineSocial & Political Thought
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractThe topic of this dissertation is Heideggers deconstruction of metaphysics viewed through the prism of Nietzsches declaration that God is dead. I argue that Nietzsches transvaluation of value remains ensnared by the will to power and the nihilistic destiny of the eternal return. I look at Heideggers late thought as a response to the disenchantment of nature and the technological framing of Earth. I argue that the delineation of a non-instrumental way life requires a political turn that is quite different from Heideggers own conservative nationalism. While the post-structuralist appropriation of Heideggers late thought makes some tentative moves towards a post-foundational democracy, I argue that the deconstruction of political community stemming from Derrida, Levinas, and Nancy fails to adequately deal with the question of democratic sovereignty. In light of this inadequacy, I take up the political theory of Benjamin, Schmitt, and Agamben in order to further delineate a negative political theology without reference to any metaphysical grounding of sovereign power. Essential to such a politics is the non-linear experience of time as event. I contrast Benjamins notion of empty homogenous time with Agambens analysis of non-linear revolutionary time. I suggest that the eschatological remembrance of democracy requires an interruption of history as a linear sequence of time. Against the instrumental framing of democracy, I advocate for the decentralization of sovereignty to local modes of participatory self-government such as general assemblies, councils, and cooperatives.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/33579
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subject.keywordsTechnology
dc.subject.keywordsEthics
dc.subject.keywordsNihilism
dc.subject.keywordsDemocracy
dc.subject.keywordsModernity
dc.subject.keywordsGlobalization
dc.subject.keywordsPolitics
dc.subject.keywordsReligion
dc.titleAfter The Death Of God: From Political Nihilism To Post-Foundational Democracy
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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