Bøker av Kai Alhanen

John Dewey¿s philosophy is becoming extremely relevant for our times. From being one of the best-known thinkers in the world in the early 1900s, Dewey¿s ideas went into near oblivion for decades. Now it seems that his philosophy was well ahead of his time. Most notably, he created a new philosophy of experience that enables us to rethink our place within nature. The main innovation of Dewey¿s thinking was his new way of understanding the experience of all living beings. Influenced by the theory of evolution, he understood experience as a continuously developing interaction between acting individuals and their environments. From this perspective, Dewey detected the fragmentation of experiences inherent within the modern way of life. The tools he developed to counter this are based upon learning collectively from individual experiences.John Dewey¿s Ecology of Experience reveals the relevance of Dewey¿s ideas for our contemporary social, political and ecological crises. It creates a comprehensive picture of his thinking on human psychology, education, ethics, science, art and religion. In its conclusion, the book assesses the main theme in his political philosophy: the democratic way of life.

While Michel Foucault¿s philosophy has been widely influential, it is difficult to grasp in its entirety. The premise of this book is that through the concept of practice a new kind of coherence can be perceived in his work.The focus of the book is the role of practice in the three axes of Foucault¿s philosophy: knowledge, power and ethics. This provides a deeper understanding of his central philosophical question: ¿How have humans become objects of their own thought?¿Practices and Thought in Michel Foucault¿s Philosophy offers a concise introduction to Foucault¿s main philosophical ideas. It also makes an original contribution to scholarly discussions of his key concepts and their development in his works.

Under pressure from global economic instability, ecological crises and growing authoritarianism, democracy is critically endangered. In order to secure the future of democracy, we need a new kind of civic activity with dialogue at its core.Dialogue is crucial for enhancing communication and for cultivating democratic coexistence in our multi-cultural world. Aiming for a better understanding of the world¿s phenomena, of other people and ourselves, dialogue helps communities to sustain one of democracy¿s most important requirements: people¿s ability to learn from one another. Combining perspectives from political philosophy and the author¿s extensive practical work with dialogue, this book affirms the power of dialogue for defending, revitalising, and developing democratic societies. It aims to clarify the meaning of democracy not only as a system of government but also as a moral way of life. Dialogue in Democracy highlights the vital significance of dialogue for strengthening and maintaining democracy, not just as a political goal but essentially as an ideal to be realised on an everyday basis. The book appeals to a broad diversity of citizens working in different areas of society: in education, business, politics and public services, as well as religious communities, scientists, athletes, and artists.