FROM NON-CLASSICAL TYPES OF RATIONALITY TO CRITICAL THEORY: V. FOURS

Abstract

In order to interpret the philosophical path of Vladimir Fours, it is first necessary to demonstrate how late Soviet philosophy first allowed and then Lukashenko’s regime prohibited the emergence of a plurality of rationalities and a diversity of symbolic worlds. This will help to understand Fours’s resistance to this prohibition. Furthermore, it is important to consider what the plurality of rationalities means from the point of view of critical theory. The interpretation of this plurality as constructive can be seen as conducive to the modernization of society and the development of human consciousness. Conversely, it can also be viewed as pathological and destructive. The article provides an interpretation of Fours’s theoretical thought process, progressing from the theory of rationalities to the analysis of communicative acts and their pathologies, as outlined in J. Habermas’ discourse ethics. It then moves on to E. Laclau and Ch. Mouffe’s theory of agonistic ruptures, S. Žižek’s concept of hidden prohibitions and C. Castoriadis’s empowering imagination. The article also presents the contemporary results and the challenges encountered during this critical reflection.