Publisher's Synopsis
When the Berlin Wall fell, Francis Fukuyama caught the attention of the world by arguing that the ?end of history? had arrived with liberal?democratic capitalism. Using a progressive theory akin to Marx?s, Fukuyama arrived at opposite conclusions. This volume confronts some basic questions that Fukuyama raises. Do the main institutions of the Western order indeed form the end-point of human political development? If not, what is the significance of the current ?post-historical? mood that Fukuyama exemplifies? After the Soviet collapse, what is the status of the Marxist theory of history? Does socialist thought need a philosophy of history? What are the real implications of the concept of ?recognition?, which Fukuyama makes central to his theory? These essays constitute the most serious appraisal yet of Fukuyama?s ideas, and at the same time demonstrate the continuing richness of radical thinking on the philosophy of history. Contributors include Jaaques Bidet, Alex Callinicos, Paula Casal, Greg Elliott, Frank Füredi, Keith Graham and Joe McCarney.
