On Voluntary Servitude False Consciousness and The Theory of Ideology
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Michael Rosen is a Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Lincoln College, Oxford."Ever since Étienne de la Boîtie posed the vexing question, 'why do some men accept their servitude voluntarily?', theorists of all persuasions have struggled to provide a plausible answer. Perhaps the most powerful they have contrived posits the notion of ideological false consciousness, which found special favour among Marxists. In this sober, detailed, and rigorous reconstruction of the historical discourses of ideology critique, Michael Rosen examines all of the arguments on its behalf and finds them wanting. No one who hopes to rescue that answer, or indeed is concerned with the initial question itself, can fail to confront and rebut, if they can, his cogent objections." <i>Professor Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley</i> <p><i>"On Voluntary Servitude</i> offers a clear analysis and an exploration of some writings off the beaten track." <i>Political Studies</i></p> <p>"Fascinating ... ambitious and informative ... incisive conceptual analysis with scholarship which is accurate and invigorating." <i>Times Literary Supplement</i></p> <p>"He brings ... both tremendous historical erudition and great philosophical rigour. Rosen's discussions of Hume, Rousseau, Smith and Hegel are outstanding, as is his sensitive and illuminating treatment of Benjamin towards the end of the book ... Undoubted strengths and incidental pleasures." <i>Radical Philosophy</i></p> <p>"Intellectually scrupulous." <i>Inquiry</i></p>
1. Introduction.
2. The Forms of False Consciousness.
3. Rationalism and False Consciousness.
4. Unintended Consequences and the Idea of a Social System.
5. Hegel.
6. Marx.
7. Critical Theory.
8. The Theory of Ideology and Beyond.
Bibliography.
Index.
Rosen clarifies the assumptions behind the theory of ideology through new interpretations of Rousseau, Smith, Herder, Hegel, Marx, Adorno and Benjamin, amongst others, and shows how those assumptions came to be taken for granted. The author's argument is critical but constructive. The assumptions behind the theory of ideology may make it untenable, he argues, but the task of developing an account of political false consciousness remains a central one for social and political thought.
This is a book that is challenging and rigorous, but one that is written with exemplary clarity and accessibility. It is bound to stimulate wide-ranging debate and will become required reading for students in philosophy, social and political theory, and the history of political thought.