“Arestlessvisionarystrivingtorealizethehighestaspirationsofmodernityitself.“-NewYorkTimesAradicalre-envisioningofthehumanconditionbytheacclaimedBrazilianphilosopherInTheWorldandUs,RobertoMangabeiraUngersetsouttoreinventphilosophy.Hiscentralthemeisourtranscendence,everythinginourexistencepointsbeyonditself,anditsrelationtoourfinitude:everythingthatsurroundsus,andweourselves,areflawedandephemeral.Heaskshowwecanlivesothatwedieonlyonce,insteadofdyingmanysmalldeaths;howwecanbreathenewlifeandnewmeaningintotherevolutionarymovementthathasarousedhumanityforthelastthreecenturies,butthatisnowweakenedanddisoriented;andhowwecanmakesenseofourselveswithoutclaimingforhumanbeingsamiraculousexceptiontothegeneralregimeofnature.ForUnger,philosophymustbethemindonfire,insistingonourprerogativetospeaktowhatmattersmost.Fromthisperspective,heredefineseachofthetraditionalpartsofphilosophy,fromontologyandepistemologytoethicsandpolitics.Heturnsmoralphilosophyintoanexplorationofthecontestbetweenthetwomostpowerfulcontemporarymoralvisions:anethicofself-fashioningandnon-conformity,andanethicofhumanconnectionandresponsibility.Andheturnspoliticalphilosophyintoaprogramofdeepfreedom,showinghowtodemocratizethemarketeconomy,energizedemocraticpolitics,andgivetheindividualworkerandcitizenthemeanstoflourishamidpermanentinnovation.
