The new constellation: The ethical-political horizons of modernity/postmodernity

In this work, Richard Bernstein explores the ethical and political dimensions of the modernity/postmodernity debate. He argues that it should be understood as what Heidegger calls a "Stimmung" or a "mood" which exerts a powerful influence on current thinking. He examines the strengths and weaknesses of the ethical-political views of such thinkers as Heidegger, Derrida, Habermas and Rorty, showing how they have contributed to the new mood or constellation of ideas. This new constellation has put ethical and political issues back on the philosophical agenda, forcing people to confront the Socratic question "How should I live?".