Abstract
The aim of the paper is to show the relevance of Martha Nussbaum's capabilities approach to the two types of the crisis in pluralist thinking which we are currently facing. The paper adopts the perspective of political aesthetics, in that it analyzes the political significance of the aesthetic motifs in Nussbaum's project. The conclusion is that Nussbaum's conception allows us to appreciate the central importance of education based on arts and humanities. It is argued that only with such background can the respect for pluralism be permanently secured.
Highlights
In one of her recent books, Not for Profit, Why Democracy Needs the Humanities? Martha Nussbaum offers a bold diagnosis of crisis
It traces possible overlaps between the political and the aesthetic in that it spells out the problems which emerge at the intersection of these two realms
This politico-aesthetic interpretation refer to the two crises mentioned at the beginning? We need to ask, firstly, in what way the moral education of emotions and practical rationality can contribute to the combating of these two dangerous tendencies – the weakening trust in liberal democracy and the reductionist understanding of human well-being
Summary
In one of her recent books, Not for Profit, Why Democracy Needs the Humanities? Martha Nussbaum offers a bold diagnosis of crisis. Published in 2010, the text begins with the mention of the economic crisis, only to immediately shift readers’ attention to a different crisis, which, simultaneously, “goes largely unnoticed”. This “silent crisis”, as Nussbaum describes it, involves the crisis in education [1]. Schools and universities all over the world increasingly focus on sciences, which yield commensurable and practical results, neglecting (seemingly?) much more “intangible” humanities and arts. Changes in education are at least partly motivated by economic anxiety, which sees scientific knowledge and technology as remedies for the current difficulties From this perspective, humanities and arts may seem a bit of a luxury, which distracts our attention from the real issues at hand
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