Critical Rationalism and Globalization: Towards the Sociology of the Open Global Society (Rethinking Globalizations)

__Critical Rationalism and Globalization__ addresses how the access to critical reason enables people to shape a new social order on a global scale. This book demonstrates how the philosophy of critical rationalism contributes to the sociology of Globalization, through uncovering the role of critical reason in arriving at an agreement on common values and institutions on a global scale. It discusses how value consensus on the institutions of sovereignty and inter–state law has prepared the ground for the rise of a global system of national societies after the end of World War II. __Masoud Alamuti__ argues that uneven openness of national economies to global trade and investment should be comprehended in the framework of the post–war legal and political context. Using the concept of rationality as openness to criticism, the book proposes a normative theory of open global society in order to show that the existing value consensus on the cult of sovereignty suffers from the recognition of the possibility of rational dialogue among competing ways of the good life. __Masoud Alamuti__ argues that once the people of the world, across national communities, open their fundamental ways of the good life to mutual criticism, they can create common global values necessary for the rise of a just social order on a global scale. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Globalization Studies, Global Sociology and International Relations. Cover 1 Half Title 4 Title Page 10 Copyright Page 11 Dedication 14 Table of Contents 12 List of figures 13 Acknowledgement 15 Preface 17 Preface from series editor 20 1. Introduction 22 Bibliography 35 2. Epistemology and the Theory of Society 37 Epistemology and Rational Dialogue on Ultimate Values 37 Knowledge as Justified True Belief 39 The Dogmatic Approach to Knowledge and Rationality 39 The Skeptical Approach to Knowledge and Rationality 44 A Nonjustificational Epistemology and Rational Dialogue 46 Popper’s Epistemology and Irrational Faith in Reason 47 Bartley’s Epistemology and Rationality as Openness to Criticism 53 Critical Rationalism and the Theory of Society 57 Critical Rationalism and a Revisable Value Consensus 58 From a Closed to an Open Society: A Normative Change 59 Notes 61 Bibliography 62 3. The Theory of Society and the Sociology of Globalization 64 The Hobbesian Problem of Social Order and Modern Sociology 64 Common Values and the Meaning of Social Order 68 Globalization and the Societal Meaning of Global Order 71 The Theory of Society and Globalization: Three Telling Examples 72 Marx’s Theory of Society and Wallerstein’s World-System Theory 73 Parsons’s Sociology and Robertson’s Theory of Globalization 77 Durkheim’s Sociology and Meyer’s Theory of World Society 81 Critical Rationalism and the Sociology of Globalization 86 Rational Dialogue and Common Values for Global Order 86 Competing Ways of Life and an Open Global Society 87 Notes 88 Bibliography 89 4. Human Action for Social Change 92 The Central Problem in Action Theory 93 Thomas Hobbes and the Problem of Action Theory 93 Redefining the Problem of Action Theory 94 The Theory of Society and an Oversocialized Image of the Individual 95 Recognition of an Oversocialized Person 96 Durkheim’s Theory of Society: The Image of the Individual-in-Society 97 Weber’s Theory of Society: The Place of the Individual-in-Society 102 Parsons’s Theory of Society: The Oversocialized Image of the Person 107 A Justificational Epistemology and the Oversocialized Individual 115 Human Action Theory: A Critical-Rationalist Approach 117 The Problem of Action Theory and an Independent Actor 118 Nonjustificational Epistemology and Ethics of Openness to Criticism 119 The Moral Philosophy of Openness to Criticism and The Ideal Types of Human Action 122 The Critical-Rationalist Action Theory: Premises and Conclusion 124 The Action Theory and Civil Society Actors 126 Notes 127 Bibliography 128 5. From a Closed to an Open Society: Unfinished Modernity 131 The Theory of Society: A Critical-Rationalist Approach 132 Critical Rationalism and Sociological Theory 132 Critical-Rationalist Sociology: The Five Elements of Social Change 134 From Traditional to Liberal Society: A New Sociology of Modernity 137 An Epistemic Solution for Traditional Society 139 The Problem of a Conflict of Opinions 139 The Moral Ideal of Liberal Society: Epistemic Logic 141 From Value to Institutional Change: The English and American Revolutions 151 The Puritan Movement and the English Revolution 151 Milton and the Puritan Movement 152 The Puritan Movement, New Values, and the End of the Monarchy 153 The Movement for Independence and the American Revolution 157 Social Problems of Colonial Society 157 Liberal Thought and the Movement for Independent 158 A Normative Agreement on Natural Rights 159 The American Republic: An Institutional Change 162 Unfinished Modernity: From a Liberal to an Open Society 163 Is a Liberal Society an Open Society? 164 Formation of an Open Society: Popper’s Problematic Analysis 165 Towards a Sociological Theory of Open Society 169 An Epistemic Critique of Rawls’s Liberal Society 169 From a Liberal to an Open Society: Opening Epistemology and Worldview 172 A Value Shift from Tolerance to Rational Dialogue 174 From the Natural Law of Liberty to the Open Law of Reason 176 From Liberal Democracy to Open Democracy 179 From a Free Market to an Open Economy 181 The Unfinished Project of Modernity: A New Sociological Perspective 182 Notes 183 Bibliography 184 6. A Critical Sociology of Global Order 187 Critical Rationalism and the Sociology of Global Order 187 Modernity and the Cultural Origins of Global Order 190 A Moral Solution for European Religious Warfare 191 National Sovereignty, the Balance of Power, and Global Order 196 Western Culture and Post-World War II Political Order 197 National Sovereignty and Inter-State Law 198 The Balance of Power and Political Ordering of Nation-states 202 The End of the Cold War and Multipolar Global Order 205 Sovereignty, Balance of Power, and Global Economic Order 209 The Social Foundations of World Economy 209 The End of World War II and The World Economy 210 Global Economic Order after the End of the Cold War 215 A Moral Critique of the Existing Global Order 220 Liberal Ethics, National Sovereignty, and Global Social Order 221 The Need for Moral Dialogue among Societies 222 Notes 224 Bibliography 225 7. Moral Dialogue for an Open Global Society 228 Inter-Civilizational Dialogue and Common Global Values 229 Nonjustificational Epistemology and a Dialogue of Civilizations 229 Civilizations and National Societies 230 An Example of a Dialogue among Civilizations: China and the West 231 The Meaning of the Good Life in the Confucian Worldview 233 The Meaning of the Good Life from the Western Worldview 234 Rational Dialogue about Competing Ways of Life 237 The Meaning of the Good Life and the Law of Humanity 240 Critical Rationalism and Moral Philosophy of the Law of Humanity 240 The Content of the Law of Humanity 242 The Law of Humanity and the Hobbesian War of All against All 244 The Law of Humanity and Democratic Global Government 245 Critical Rationalism and the Democratic State 245 The Democratic Global State and the Sovereignty of the World’s Peoples 247 Global Democracy for an Open Global Economy 249 Critical Rationalism and an Open Economy 250 The Democratic Global State and Equal Opportunities for Competition 252 Dialogue among Civilizations and Global Civil Society 255 Critical Rationalism and Civil Society 256 Moral Dialogue and Global Social Movements 259 Critical Rationalism and Global Sociology: A Concluding Remark 261 Notes 265 Bibliography 266 Index 269