Abstract
The concept of solidarity is omnipresent, at least in Germany’s public discourse. It has become a slogan that decorates the election campaigns of almost every political party. Unions appeal to the solidarity of the working class. Church representatives call upon us for ‘solidarity with the poor’. References to the value of ‘solidarity’ dominate discussions about the future of the welfare state as well as reflections on the more general question of the social coherence of modern societies. Nevertheless: the more popular the concept, the more ambiguous its meaning. What remains is a wishy-washy concept of solidarity that tries to evoke a vague sense of belonging, a readiness to help, or the value of social responsibility. This is the case not only with the trivialised or everyday use of the concept and its role in political discourse; it also holds for philosophical and sociological debates. Even here we find inconsistencies and a broad variety of implicit meanings attributed to the notion of solidarity.
One thing will remain from socialism: It has sharpened our awareness that solidarity is more than a moral sentiment
Warnfried Dettling (DIE ZEIT December 27, 1996)
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Bibliography
Amengual, G.: 1990, Gattungswesen als Solidarität. Die Auffassung vom Menschen in der Bestimmung des Gattungswesens als Begriff und Grundlegung der Solidarität,’ in H.-J. Braun (ed.), Ludwig Feuerbach und die Philosophie der Zukunft, Berlin.
Brudney, D.: 1999, Marx’ Attempt to Leave Philosophy, Harvard University Press, Harvard.
Brumlik, M. and Brunkhorst, H. (eds.): 1993, Gemeinschaft und Gerechtigkeit, Fischer, Frankfurt.
Davis, D.B.: 1999, `Blacks and Jews,’ New York Review of Books, December 1999.
Durkheim, E.: 1893/1978, De la division du travail social,Presses Universitaires de France, Paris.
Evers, A. and M. Klein: 2001, Solidarity and Care in Germany’ (this volume).
Gordimer, N.: 1994, None to accompany me, Bloomsbury, London.
Habermas, J.: 1998, Die Einbeziehung des Anderen, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main.
Hegel, G.W.F.: 1987, Vorlesungen zur Philosophie des Rechts, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main.
Honneth, A.: 1993, `Posttraditionale Gemeinschaften,’ in H. Bnmkhorst and M. Brumlik (eds.), Gemeinschaft und Gerechtigkeit, Fisher, Frankfurt am Main.
Hook, B.: 1995, Killing rage: ending racism, Holt, New York.
Radin, M.J.: 1996, Contested Commodities, Harvard University Press, Harvard.
Rorty, R.: 1989, Contingeny, Irony, Solidarity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge/N.Y.
Sartre, J.-P.: 1960, Critique de la Raison Dialectique, Gallimard, Paris.
Schipperges, H.: 1996, Geschichte der Medizin, Springer, Berlin.
Taylor, C.: 1985, `Distributive Justice,’ Philosophical Papers, II, Cambridge University Press.
Theunisn n, M.: 1981, Selbstverwirklichung und Allgemeinheit, De Gruyter, Berlin/New York.
Tugendhat, E.: 1994, Vorlesungen über Ethik, Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main.
Walzer, M.: 1983, Spheres of Justice, Basic Book, New York.
Wildt, A.: 1992, `Solidarität,’ in J. Ritter and K.-F. Gründer (eds.), Historisches Wörterbuch der Philosophie, 8, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, p. 1004.
Wildt, A.: 1995, Zur Begriffs-und Ideengeschichte von Solidarität,’ in H. Bayertz, Solidarität. Rechtsphilosophische Hefte, 4, Frankfurt am Main.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jaeggi, R. (2001). Solidarity and Indifference. In: ter Meulen, R., Arts, W., Muffels, R. (eds) Solidarity in Health and Social Care in Europe. Philosophy and Medicine, vol 69. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9743-2_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9743-2_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5887-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9743-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive