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Ferry, Jean-Marc
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
The anniversary of the European 'No' vote
"How can we put an end to the current gloomy mood? Should we do a better job of 'selling Europe' to Europeans?" The French philosopher Jean-Marc Ferry, a teacher at the Free University of Brussels, takes stock of the rejection of the constitution. "Far from slamming the brakes on a Europe seen as excessively liberal, France's negative response ended up playing into the hands of the enemies of social-democracy: the extreme right and extreme left, as well as the ultraliberalism of the anglo-saxon approach. A ludicrous pretention of a 'left-wing No vote' that would serve as a 'wake-up call' to the other members! At a time when the Union is in danger of regressing into a free-trade zone, no major political voice is being raised to shake up inertia, and chauvinism is regaining lost ground. ... In order to give itself new legitimacy, the Union will have to prove capable of providing a credible political response to economic globalisation as well as to the new geopolitical order which risks becoming unipolar. No nation acting single-handedly will be able to provide an answer."
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A Kantian approach for Europe
"The debate over Turkey's identity is a long one, but not the right one since (...) the question of the Union's political borders is distinct from that of Europe's historical or geographical boundaries. It is surprising that arguments involving identity, which verge on fundamentalism, could have been invoked against Ankara's candidacy even by figures who are well-versed in the Union's philosophy on membership criteria," explains the French philosopher Jean-Marc Ferry in an interview led by William Bourton. Insofar as Europe's political shape is concerned, Ferry appeals for a formula of "Kantian cosmopolitanism" by which the Union openly declares its identity, but is barred from using force against a State or a citizen to impose its will. "The Union can exercise authority, but not sovereignty. This is an important difference."
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