Potentials for Critique Based on Charles Taylor's Thought

Abstract

Charles Taylor is not a philosopher traditionally associated with the tradition of critical theorists, but many of his ideas and philosophical conceptions can align with the goals of critical theory—that is, to develop immanent analyses to diagnose our time in order to identify the potentialities and limits for human emancipation. In this sense, we will initially work with the concepts of identity, moral articulation, moral configurations, and the principle of best description, aiming to provide criteria to evaluate what would constitute a non-alienated life from a formal perspective. In a second moment, it will be possible to show how these concepts connect directly with what Rosa, drawing on Taylor’s concepts, proposes as the overcoming of alienation, which is nothing more than the construction of practices and spaces of resonance, allowing for a deeper reflection on who we are, our practices, and our relationships.