Books in English
Gunnar Skirbekk
A Young Man’s Search for Meaning
Translated by Knut Erik Tranøy.
Norwegian title: Nihilisme?
First published: University of Bergen 1972
Second edition: SVT Press 1998
Allégt 32
N-5020 Bergen
Design and typeset by Tom Klev
ISBN 82-7907-003-6
Contents:
Preface
The First Bastion. Introduction and Background
The Problem of Evil
The Wheel
Two Perspectives
A Point of Departure
Gunnar Skirbekk
MANUSCRIPTS ON RATIONALITY
Ariadne (Bergen) 1992
ISBN 82-90477-22-8
The basic concern of these essays is that of the ‘incarnation of our thoughts’, or the situatedness of reason, understood in terms of the discursive tension between universal pragmatics, as in Apel and Habermas, and contextual praxeology, as in Wittgenstein. The common position is one in favour of a ‘post-skeptical rationality’.
Contents:
Preface
1) Technological Expertise and Global Ethics
1.1) What about Culture?
2) Cultural Decolonization?
2.1) Pluralism and Modernity
3) The Beauty and the Beast
4) Property and Interdependence
5) Ethical Gradualism?
6) Truth
7) On the Normative Foundation of Science
8) A Critique of Pragmatic Reason
Notes
References
Gunnar Skirbekk
ECO-PHILOSOPHICAL MANUSCRIPTS
Ariadne (Bergen) 1992
ISBN 82-90477-27-9
This is a collection of essay in applied ethics. The author elaborates his programmatic notion of rationality by discussing cases related to our environment and lifeworld, that is, to our oikos – hence, “eco-philosophical manuscripts”.
Contents:
Preface
Ecological Crisis and Technological Expertise
Science and Ethics
A Crisis in the Humanities?
Political Culture
Eco-Crisis and the Welfare State
A Pragmatic Notion of Nature
Gunnar Skirbekk
Essays in Philosophical Pragmatics
Scandinavian University Press/Oxford University Press 1993
ISBN 82-00-21718-3
Rationality and Modernity focuses on the philosophical discussion of rationality and basic norms. Its perspective is that of the ‘pragmatic turn’ and its discursive dimension that of a mutual criticism between hermeneutic contextualism and trans-contextual pragmatics.
With present day critical theory as his philosophical horizon, Skirbekk discusses in particular the significant contributions of Apel, Habermas, and in this connection, also Wittgenstein.
The common aim of these essays in philosophical pragmatics is to make visible, theoretically and practically, a way of thinking which brings together contextual praxeology and universal pragmatics.
Contents:
Introduction
Praxeological Reflections
Arguments from Absurdity
Pragmatism and Pragmatics
Madness and Reason
Contextual and Universal Pragmatics
The Pragmatic Notion of Nature
Ethical Gradualism and Discourse Ethics
Modernization of the Lifeworld
Rationality and Contextuality
References
Gunnar Skirbekk and Nils Gilje
A HISTORY OF WESTERN THOUGHT
From ancient Greece to the twentieth century
Routledge 2001
Translated by Ronald Worley
ISBN 0-415-22073-4 (paper)
ISBN 0-415-22072-6 (hard cover)
A History of Western Thought is a comprehensive introduction to the history of Western philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the twentieth century. Along with in-depth discussion of all the major philosophical movements, Skirbekk and Gilje also look at the historical factors that have influenced Western philosophy, including the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as political ideologies such as liberalism, socialism and fascism.
It is an ideal introduction for anyone coming to the history of western thought for the first time.
Areas covered include:
Plato
Aristotle
the Middle Ages
the Renaissance and realpolitik
doubt and belief
Locke
the Enlightenment
Utilitarianism and liberalism
Kant
Hegel
Marx
Kierkegaard
Darwin
Nietzsche and pragmatism
Socialism and fascism
Freud and psychoanalysis
The rise of the social sciences
A glance at contemporary philosophy
modernity and crisis
“Not only is this an excellent history of philosophical thought, it also opens the door to a far wider range of thinkers than many introductions and histories. For this, the authors deserve special praise.” Alastair Hannay, University of Oslo
"I have read Gunnar Skirbekk's History of Philosophy in the first German translation of 1993 - it was a translation from the fourth Norwegian edition of 1987. These dates alone are telling. There are good reasons for the fact, that these two volumes are both best-sellers and long-sellers: they present us with the most interesting and innovative history of Western Philosophy I know of. The author is an original mind who never writes in the style of a mere history of ideas but presents each of them as a result of interconnected problem-solving processes." Jürgen Habermas, May 2015.
Cf the Norwegian original, Filosofihistorie.
Gunnar Skirbekk
RELIGION, MODERNITY AND RATIONALITY
Published in 2006 by
SVT Press
Allégt. 32, N-5020 Bergen
Norway
ISBN 978-82-7907-005-4
To what extent is religion modern?
To what extent is modernity rational?
And what is rational about rationality?
These are the three underlying questions of these three essays, presented in Shanghai in September 2006, within the framework of the “Marco Polo” research program for comparative studies of processes of cultural modernization in Europe and East Asia:
“Religion and Modernity”
“Alternative Processes of Modernization?”
“Truth and Justification”
Gunnar Skirbekk
Moderen Challenges and Philosophical Responses: Contributions to Inter-Cultural Dialogues
University Press of America 2007
ISBN 13-978-0-7618-3776-3
Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
(1) The Modernity Debate: Rationality – universal and plural?
A praxeological contribution to the debate between universalist modernists and contextualist postmodernists
(2) A Crisis in the Humanities?
The challenges of culture in modern societies
(3) Technological Expertise and Global Ethics in an age of a scientization and ecological crisis
(4) Ethical Gradualism beyond Anthropocentrism and Biocentrism?
(5) On the Possibility of a Philosophical Justification for Universally Binding Principles in an age of one-state supremacy and shrinking inter-state institutions
(6) Procedural Universality, “Bottom Up”
Postscript
References
Gunnar Skirbekk
A Tale of Scandinavian Experiences
Hong Kong, The Chinese University Press, 2011
ISBN 978-962-996-487-0
Multiple Modernities approaches the concept of modernity through two historical phases of Norway. The first study focuses on the interplay between Lutheran state officials and popular movements in the nineteenth century as an essential aspect of the growth of social democracy. The second examination of modernization centers on twenthieth-century Norway after World War II. The book is balanced between theoretical remarks on conceptual issues, an assessment of modernization processes, and a study of basic epistemic and structural challenges that confront us in our time. Scandinavian countries are often noted as cases of successful modernization processes. However, these references to a "Scandinavian model" tend to focus on the mid-twentieth century after World War II. In Skirbekk’s view, the uniqueness of modernization processes in Scandinavia, for instance in Norway, is better conceived historically, not least by focusing on the nineteenth century with a continuation into the twentieth century.
Gunnar Skirbekk
for my Chinese friends
SVT Press, Bergen, 2013 (slightly updated 2024)
ISBN 978-82-7907-007-8
Contents
Introductory remarks
(A) Background
(B) Nihilism?
(C) Post-WWII: the intellectual constellation
(D) Philosophy in Norway after the War
(i) General remarks
(ii) Examen philosophicum – a Norwegian phenomenon
(E) Philosophy as communicative practice
(i) Fallibilism and egalitarian culture
(ii) Philosophy by travelling around
(F) Philosophy by profession – university and politics
(i) At the University of Bergen
(ii) Achievements and decline
(G) A History of Western Thought
(i) Background
(ii) Pedagogical approach
(iii) Other people start using the book
(iv) Resistance
(v) Translation and publication abroad
(vi) A popular book, but why?
(H) Transcendental-pragmatics, gradualist and meliorist, and the discussion about conceptual adequacy
(I) SVT – Center for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities
(J) Modernization theory
(K) Marco Polo
(L) Places and persons
(i) University of California San Diego
(ii) Dubrovnik
(iii) The French connection
(iv) The German connection
(v) Russo-Ukrainian connections
(vi) Nordic connections
(vii) China
Final remarks
Publications
Gunnar Skirbekk
Published in 2018 by
SVT Press
Parkveien 9
Bergen, Norway
ISBN 978-82-7907-011-5
Why is argumentative reason essential, in modern societies?
Why is freedom of expression a precondition for these societies?
Modernization processes in Scandinavia, why are they special?
Contents
1.Argumentative Reason
In a modernization-theoretical perspective
2.Freedom of Expression
A normative justification of the legal protection of freedom of expression
3.Processes of Modernization
Scandinavian Experiences
Gunnar Skirbekk
EPISTEMIC CHALLENGES IN A MODERN WORLD
From “fake news” and “post truth” to underlying epistemic challenges in science-based risk-societies
“ZEITDIAGNOSEN”, LIT Verlag, Zürich 2019
ISBN 9783643911711
The modern world is in crisis, a double crisis, as it were: at the factual level, with various challenges that tend to interact and reinforce each other, and at the epistemic level, where no single science or expertise alone can grasp the complexity of what is going on. In this publication, such basic epistemic challenges are addressed, critically and constructively; and in this perspective four current cases are discussed and assessed, such as the United Nations Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. On this background, some proposals for epistemic and institutional improvements are considered.
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introductory remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part I – Epistemic Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Terminological remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Intentionally false claims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Structural challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Epistemic challenges in science-based risk-societies . . . . . .
Modernity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Keep quiet” –avoidance of the future? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Summing up, so far . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part II – Four Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The United Nations platform for the follow-up and review of the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development . . . . . . . . . . . .
My comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. . . . .
My comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Global Risks Report 2019. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
My comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Climate Risk and the Norwegian Economy (Klimarisiko og
norsk økonomi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
My comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Comparing the four texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Concluding remarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part III –What To Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Universities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
School system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Media, the public sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Socio-economic and socio-cultural presuppositions? . . . . . . .
“State” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Summing up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gunnar Skirbekk
Routledge 2024
ISBN 9781032579221
In Religion in Modern Societies, Gunnar Skirbekk examines the challenging relationship between religion, science, and the state, and explores literature on religion in Western and Muslim-majority societies.
Through the lens of modernity theory and the perspective of philosophy of science, key issues are discussed, including freedom of expression and the interaction between religion and modern institutions. Chapters include:
• Science and Religion
• The Problem of Evil
• Freedom of Expression
• Multiculturalism and the Welfare State
• Religion as Social Integration
• Islam in a Historical Class Perspective
The topics discussed are universal issues which in principle hold relevance for all of us living in a modern science-based world and societies in crisis.
This volume is essential reading to those with an interest in philosophy of religion, religion and science, the work of Jürgen Habermas, the theory of modernization, and the politicization of religion.