Community, individual, and world in the later works of Josiah Royce and Charles Taylor

Abstract

Two ideals, those of community and cosmopolitanism, have wound their ways through the history of philosophy and humanity. In recent times, we again find them the subject of debate in academia while parallel conflicts have arisen throughout the world which appear to instantiate the intellectual debate. The dichotomy has historically resisted resolution. The present thesis presents two views that I believe attempt to resolve the contradictions of community, individual, and world. The two views are those of Josiah Royce and Charles Taylor. I wish to show the similarities and dissimilarities between their respective social philosophies, their social ontologies, and the ameliorative practices they advocate. Although I find Taylor's account to be inadequate, I argue that Royce's notion of community places us on the right footing towards an attempt to escape the dualism of individual and community. This alternative route represents a bequest of a greater comprehension of what it means to be both socially engaged and free.