Professional Affiliation

Professor of Philosophy, Stevens Institute of Technology Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

Expert Bio

 

 

Expertise

Social and Political Philosophy, especially Democratic Theory; Feminist Theory; Ethical Issues in International Affairs; Human Rights; Cultural Identity and Citizenship Issues; Ethical and Social Implications of Information and Communication Technologies

 

 

Wilson Center Project

"The Intersection of Democracy, Globalization, and Human Rights: Normative Conflicts and Policy Implications"

Project Summary

This project considers certain new issues that are posed for political theory when democracy is placed in the context of increasing global interdependence and cultural diversity, combined with the strengthening of human rights law and enforcement, in which they are proposed as standards applicable to every political community. I will examine some of the central value conflicts and policy issues that emerge, including whether democracy can extend across borders to transnational decision-making, and how human rights can be said to apply within national borders, giving rise to the rights of citizens against their own governments.

Major Publications

• Rethinking Democracy: Freedom and Social Cooperation in Politics, Economy, and Society. (Cambridge University Press,1988). Translated into Indonesian (Tiara Wacana Yogya, 1993)
  
   
• Marx's Social Ontology: Individuality and Community in Marx's Theory of Social Reality (MIT Press, 1978). Translated into Spanish (Fondo de Cultura Economica, 1983) and Japanese (Godo Shuppansho, 1980).
  
   
• Women and Philosophy: Toward a Theory of Liberation, co-edited with Marx W. Wartofsky (Putnam, 1976; reprinted in 1980 with a new introduction)