درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

This paper examines the contemporary comprehensive crisis of legitimacy in the United States as a collapse of ethical life (Sittlichkeit), the historically constituted unity between individual will and the objective institutions that structure social existence. It begins by tracing Hegel’s critique of Kant’s moral formalism (Moralität), showing that freedom must be grounded not in abstract autonomy but in the rational institutions through which individuals recognize themselves in society. Following Hegel and scholars such as Terry Pinkard, Charles Taylor, Robert Pippin, Michael Lazarus, Karen Ng, and Slavoj Žižek, the paper argues that ethical life is actual when individuals experience their belief, purpose, and actions as continuous with the shared ideals and practices of the community. When this alignment fractures – when institutions are no longer experienced as rational or authoritative – a crisis of ethical life emerges. Drawing from Hegel’s account of Sittlichkeit and a Marxist critique of capitalist political economy, the paper contends that the United States is in the midst of such a crisis. What persists is not an actual ethical life organically grounded and necessary, but a hollowed-out structure experienced as arbitrary and artificial, sustained through mutual misrecognition rather than genuine belief. The result is widespread alienation, distrust, and disunity between people and dominant institutions. The paper concludes by arguing that the only path forward lies in constructing new institutions – dual power formations – grounded in collective freedom, mutual recognition, and human flourishing, which can serve as the basis for a renewed ethical life.

The growing phenomenon of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) represents a significant challenge for society and, even more so, for the world of education itself, even more so for the world of work. According to many educators and philosophers, the reasons why so many young people in various countries are giving up both on continuing their studies and actively seeking employment can often be traced back to a broader sense of mistrust, a profound mistrust that many young people feel towards the future and, indeed, the world as a whole. Yet, human beings do not simply experience the world: they live a vision of the world. From this vision arises their perception of existence, of their capacity to change life and society for the better, and therefore of the possibility that the future may once again appear as a promise rather than a threat. In the face of youthful nihilism, philosophy could offer meaningful paths that lead to a renewed and positive way of being in the world and imagining the future. Education through philosophy can therefore potentially contribute to addressing the widespread phenomena of youth distress and educational impoverishment of our time. In this article, the author presents a case study of a philosophical practices workshop for young NEETs, designed to address participants' self- and worldview, helping to boost their self-esteem and confidence in themselves and their future. This educational experience is framed within a theoretical framework that highlights the transformative and emancipatory potential of philosophy as a radical educational dimension.