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Bauman, Zygmunt
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4 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Zygmunt Bauman on the causes of the economic crisis
Polish philosopher Zygmunt Bauman writes in the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna on the causes of the current global economic crisis, now in its second year: "The reasons for this as well as previous crises lie in the nature of capitalism. As a system, capitalism is parasitic in character. In the words of [the German socialist thinker] Rosa Luxemburg, it destroys the foundation on which it thrives. She claimed that capitalism needs 'virgin territory' for 'extended production' - that is for its own reconstruction and the growth of capital. This refers to territory that has not yet been encompassed by the logic of capitalism - at least not yet. In the moment when the 'loss of virginity' occurs, that is when the economy is transformed into a capitalistic model, 'extended production' is no longer successful on this territory and must seek out new terrain. But when these virgin areas have disappeared as a result of the globalisation of commodity markets, their role will be taken over by sectors that had not previously been commercialised."
» full article (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Philosophy, » Financial Markets, » Global
For Zygmunt Bauman, intellectuals can help fight fear
In an interview conducted by Catherine Portevin, the Polish philosopher and sociologist Zygmut Bauman considers that the role of modern intellectuals is to help people fight feelings of insecurity. "These days, fears are diffuse, scattered, and ill-defined. It is difficult to put a finger on them, to trace their origins ... This is what makes contemporary fears so difficult to temper and to impede. ... These uncertainties fuel and reinforce one another, forming a state of mind and feelings that only the term 'vague insecurity' aptly describes. We feel unsure of ourselves because we do not know where our fears come from or how to react. Thus we need intellectuals in order to become aware the reality of certain dangers that are invisible to the naked eye, and also to warn us against imaginary threats invented for political and commercial purposes."
» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Philosophy, » Europe
All available articles from » Catherine Portevin
Zygmunt Bauman analyses the obsession with security
In an interview conducted by Gilles Anquetil and François Armanet, the Anglo-Polish sociologist Zygmut Bauman considers that the current obsession with security is linked to the nature of modern fears. "Since two sources [of fear], incertitude and insecurity, currently escape the control of all the forces capable of deliberate, measured, combined and efficient action and especially that of the Nation State. The desire to conquer these fears entails the overestimation of the field of ... personal security (by seeking to be rid of foreigners, intruders and the uninvited, the delinquent lumpenproletariat of housing estates, the dishonest representatives of the farm-produce and pharmaceutical industries, invasive beggars, prowlers, voyeurs and other 'harassers' and of rude neighbours, smokers, sexual delinquents, etc.), for it is the only field where political power and purveyors of protection can act and show that they are acting."
» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Global
All available articles from » Gilles Anquetil, » François Armanet
Europe as the "hothouse of universal man"
In an interview with Keith Tester, the Polish-British sociologist Zygmunt Bauman seeks to identify Europe's true substance. For him, all the attempts to unite Europe so far have relied "on weapons and slogans. They either failed immediately or were only short-lived. The current experiment is the only exception, as it involves neither violence nor slogans... Europe's 'substance' is bound up with its abundance and diversity of opinions. Europe is primarily a pluralistic culture. This is its strength, and perhaps what makes it special... Europe is the hothouse of universal man. In a wonderful way, it allows its inhabitants to transcend spatial and cultural divides and communicate with each other."
» more information (external link, Hungarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Society, » Europe
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