Normativity in a non-ideal world

Project manager: Prof. Dr. Stefan Gosepath

The framework of the research projects at the Chair of International Political Theory was formed by the problem of normativity in a non-ideal world, to which each of the individual sub-projects referred from a different perspective.

The first and most extensive focus was on the formulation of foundations for global or transnational norms of justice that can orient and guide our dealings with the existing non-ideal circumstances. These norms are based firstly on a doctrine of human rights as minimum conditions for the legitimacy of social organizations; secondly on a conception of transnational political order; thirdly on a conception of transnational distributive justice and fourthly on a conception of global responsibility. A second focus was on fundamental methodological questions (How can normative theory relate to politics and social orders in a meaningful way? How can normative theories be applied to non-ideal circumstances, especially in the global context?) The analysis of normativity in general formed a third focus. The focus here is on two questions: Firstly, what is the peculiar obligatory character of moral and political norms and what is it based on? Secondly, what is the unity, if any, of the phenomena referred to as “normativity” in the theoretical and practical realm?

As part of the first focus, an introduction to and compilation of some key texts on the debate on global justice was produced (Broszies) (published as: Christoph Broszies and Henning Hahn (eds.): Global Justice. Key texts on the debate between particularism and cosmopolitanism Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp, 2010), elaborated a minimal conception of the responsibility of the better-off towards people in extreme poverty (Beck) and provided constructive suggestions on how we should think about global duties to help and responsibility (Gosepath). The project included preliminary studies for a systematic response to the question of whether liberal-egalitarian theories of justice can be extended to the global context and, if so, how they can be applied to this context (Gosepath). In addition to the defense of human rights as a minimal but global standard of legitimacy (Gosepath), the advantages and disadvantages of relational and non-relational approaches were also discussed using the example of so-called “failed states” (Jugov).
As part of the second focus, preliminary studies on a comprehensive reconstruction and defense of constructivism as a method of justice theory for the global level (Broszies) were developed, a pluralistic perspective on world poverty responsibility was defended (Beck) and elements of a critique of pursuing political philosophy as an ideal/non-ideal theory of justice were elaborated (Schaub).
The third focus of the project involved preliminary work on a study of the connection between the genesis and validity of norms, as well as an explanation of the relevance of this insight for a justification of the ideal of democratic self-determination (Celikates) and explanations of the origin of normativity (Gosepath).

The most important publications in this project include:
Stefan Gosepath (2012): “Zur Verteidigung der Verteilungsgerechtigkeit”, in: Regina Kreide/Claudia Landwehr/Katrin Toens (eds.), Demokratie und Gerechtigkeit in Verteilungskonflikten, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 35-49.
Stefan Gosepath (2009): ‘Zum Ursprung der Normativität’, in Rainer Forst, Martin Hartmann, Rahel, Jaeggi, Martin Saar (eds.): Social Philosophy and Criticism. Axel Honneth on his 60th birthday Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp, 250-268.
Stefan Gosepath: “Poverty and Responsibility”, in: Elke Mack/Michael Schramm/Stephan Klasen/Thomas Pogge (eds.): Absolute Poverty and Global Justice. Empirical Data – Moral Theories – Initiatives Farnham & Burlington: Ashgate 2009, 113-121.

The dissertations started in the project were continued after the end of the project and have now been published as:
Valentin Beck (2016): A theory of global responsibility. What we owe people in extreme poverty , Frankfurt am Main Suhrkamp.
Tamara Jugov (2019): Geltungsgründe globaler Gerechtigkeit, Frankfurt/New York: Campus (forthcoming).

The following conferences and workshops were held as part of the project: “Human Rights Today: Foundations and Politics“, International Conference, 17-18.6.2010, “Global Justice: Problems, Principles and Institutions“, International Conference, 31.5.-1.6.2012 and “Dimensions of Normativity“, International Conference, 21-23.6.2012.