Helder De Schutter | KU Leuven (original) (raw)
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Papers by Helder De Schutter
Routledge Handbook of Ethics and Public Policy, 2019
International Studies in Philosophy, 2007
Applies the hermeneutic theory of Hans-Georg Gadamer and the Postcolonial theory of Édouard Gliss... more Applies the hermeneutic theory of Hans-Georg Gadamer and the Postcolonial theory of Édouard Glissant to the issue of overcoming ethnocentrism in intercultural communication
Arguing for Justice Éd. Axel Gosseries and Yannick Vanderborght, 2011
Abstract: In recent years, Philippe has developed a brilliant theory of linguistic justice. In se... more Abstract: In recent years, Philippe has developed a brilliant theory of linguistic justice. In several articles, especially in ‘Must Europe be Belgian?’, he has argued that language policies in Europe and worldwide should be developed in a ‘Belgian’ way. This ‘Belgian’ solution implies that each territory in the world should be officially monolingual, which is essentially the case in the Belgian regions Flanders and Wallonia. However, Belgium has a third region, Brussels, with an official bilingual language policy. Belgium does contain two models, then, for linguistic justice: the Brussels model which grants rights to more than one native language group living on the territory, and the Rest Of Belgium (ROB) model which works on the premise that each territory should be officially monolingual, applying a cujus regio ejus lingua principle. Philippe argues for the universalization of the ROB model. I argue for the opposite position: the universalization of the Brussels model for dealing with the vast linguistic heterogeneity of the present world.
Translation and Public Policy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Case Studies. London: Routledge, ed. G. González Nunez and R. Meylaerts , 2017
Twelve Stars. Philosophers Chart a Course for Europe, 2019
Jerusalem Review of Legal Studies, 2019
British Journal of Political Science, 2015
Dve Domovini Two Homelands, 2016
This article revisits the principal argument Will Kymlicka has developed for a marriage between l... more This article revisits the principal argument Will Kymlicka has developed for a marriage between liberalism and multiculturalism: that the liberal value of freedom requires a cultural context of choice. I show that this freedom argument rests on a romantic philosophy of language. Critics of this freedom argument have pointed out that it is not necessarily an individual’s own culture that provides freedom: any culture could do so. I articulate a romantic-Kymlickean response to this critique by showing how individuals’ life choices come to be entwined with the particular culture that provides their context of choice. But while that safeguards existing individuals from assimilation, it does not block future generations from being introduced into the life-world of an additional cultural context. Such slow intergenerational assimilation projects are not necessarily worrisome, however. They can sometimes have the virtue of realizing non-identity values in addition to freedom.
Philosophy and economics
In this article, we examine how language and linguistic membership might feature in luck egalita... more In this article, we examine how language and linguistic membership might feature in luck
egalitarianism, what a luck-egalitarian theory of linguistic justice would look like, and,
finally, what the emphasis on language teaches us about the validity of standard luckegalitarian
assumptions. We show that belonging to one language group rather than
another is a morally arbitrary feature and that where membership of a specific linguistic
group affects individual chances, the effects of such bad brute luck ought to be neutralized
on the luck-egalitarian view. We assess two ways of redressing those kinds of unjustified
inequalities: the ‘universal language’ option and the ‘linguistic advantages for all’
option. But we also argue, in the second part, that exploring luck egalitarianism through
the lens of language exposes some difficulties intrinsic in many existent luck-egalitarian
theories. We argue that treating circumstances one identifies with as choices is problematic.
In addition, we argue that the linguistic preconditions of both the capacity to be
responsible as well the exercise of responsibility complicate the idea of individual
responsibility on which most luck-egalitarian theories rely. We conclude by suggesting
the need to develop a luck-egalitarian theory of justice which is less reliant on causal
features of the distinction between choice and circumstance and which is more sensitive
to the idea of collective cooperation as opposed to individual responsibility.
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 2015
This introduction does three things. We first give an overview of the lin- guistic justice debate... more This introduction does three things. We first give an overview of the lin- guistic justice debate in normative political philosophy. We then situate Philippe Van Parijs’s position within it, by zooming in on Van Parijs’s two major normative claims: the support of the rise of English as the global lingua franca and the defence of linguistic territoriality. Finally, we clarify how each of the essays that follow this introduction relates to those two claims.
The Cambridge Handbook of Language Policy, 2012
Metaphilosophy, 2009
To respond to globalization-related challenges, many contemporary political theorists have argued... more To respond to globalization-related challenges, many contemporary political theorists have argued for forms of democracy beyond the level of the nation-state. Since the early 1990s, however, political theory has also witnessed a renewed normative defense of nationhood. Liberal nationalists have been influential in claiming that the state should protect and promote national identities, and that it is desirable that the boundaries of national and political units coincide. At first glance, both positionsFglobal democracy and nationalismFseem to contradict each other. We do not share this oppositional picture. Developing a more harmonic picture of nationalist ideals and cosmopolitan visions is the aim of this essay.
Language Problems and Language Planning, 2007
This paper provides an overview of the emerging debates over language policy and linguistic diver... more This paper provides an overview of the emerging debates over language policy and linguistic diversity within political philosophy. It outlines the larger context of this debate and identifies its protagonists and the main issues at stake in it. In addition, it presents an interpretive scheme for the analysis of the variety of approaches that have so far been developed within this field. This scheme relates these approaches back to two clashes of different language ideologies. The first clash is between instrumentalism and constitutivism. The second clash is between transparency and hybridity. Finally, the paper explains why the sociolinguistic literature on language policy should interest political philosophers, and vice versa: why sociolinguists should engage with political philosophy.
Ethical Perspectives, 2005
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 2008
Can global justice simply be seen as social justice writ large? According to Miller it cannot. Se... more Can global justice simply be seen as social justice writ large? According to Miller it cannot. Seen from the viewpoint of justice there are fundamental differences between the national and international sphere. Just like Nagel he strongly rejects monism. Yet unlike Nagel, ...
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 2008
Contemporary political philosophy has only recently witnessed a widespread emergence of analyses ... more Contemporary political philosophy has only recently witnessed a widespread emergence of analyses of justice beyond the context of the nation‐state. When modern political philosophers devised principles of justice in the past, they typically took for granted that ...
adfl, 2008
All material published by the The Association of Departments of Foreign Languages in any medium i... more All material published by the The Association of Departments of Foreign Languages in any medium is protected by copyright. Users may link to the ADFL Web page freely and may quote from ADFL publications as allowed by the doctrine of fair use. Written permission is required for any ...
Federalism in the European Union (eds. E. Cloots, G. Debaere en S. Sottiaux), Oxford: Hart, pp. 169 – 190., 2012
Tijd, evolutie en duurzaamheid Lessen voor de eenentwintigste eeuw, 2013
Routledge Handbook of Ethics and Public Policy, 2019
International Studies in Philosophy, 2007
Applies the hermeneutic theory of Hans-Georg Gadamer and the Postcolonial theory of Édouard Gliss... more Applies the hermeneutic theory of Hans-Georg Gadamer and the Postcolonial theory of Édouard Glissant to the issue of overcoming ethnocentrism in intercultural communication
Arguing for Justice Éd. Axel Gosseries and Yannick Vanderborght, 2011
Abstract: In recent years, Philippe has developed a brilliant theory of linguistic justice. In se... more Abstract: In recent years, Philippe has developed a brilliant theory of linguistic justice. In several articles, especially in ‘Must Europe be Belgian?’, he has argued that language policies in Europe and worldwide should be developed in a ‘Belgian’ way. This ‘Belgian’ solution implies that each territory in the world should be officially monolingual, which is essentially the case in the Belgian regions Flanders and Wallonia. However, Belgium has a third region, Brussels, with an official bilingual language policy. Belgium does contain two models, then, for linguistic justice: the Brussels model which grants rights to more than one native language group living on the territory, and the Rest Of Belgium (ROB) model which works on the premise that each territory should be officially monolingual, applying a cujus regio ejus lingua principle. Philippe argues for the universalization of the ROB model. I argue for the opposite position: the universalization of the Brussels model for dealing with the vast linguistic heterogeneity of the present world.
Translation and Public Policy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Case Studies. London: Routledge, ed. G. González Nunez and R. Meylaerts , 2017
Twelve Stars. Philosophers Chart a Course for Europe, 2019
Jerusalem Review of Legal Studies, 2019
British Journal of Political Science, 2015
Dve Domovini Two Homelands, 2016
This article revisits the principal argument Will Kymlicka has developed for a marriage between l... more This article revisits the principal argument Will Kymlicka has developed for a marriage between liberalism and multiculturalism: that the liberal value of freedom requires a cultural context of choice. I show that this freedom argument rests on a romantic philosophy of language. Critics of this freedom argument have pointed out that it is not necessarily an individual’s own culture that provides freedom: any culture could do so. I articulate a romantic-Kymlickean response to this critique by showing how individuals’ life choices come to be entwined with the particular culture that provides their context of choice. But while that safeguards existing individuals from assimilation, it does not block future generations from being introduced into the life-world of an additional cultural context. Such slow intergenerational assimilation projects are not necessarily worrisome, however. They can sometimes have the virtue of realizing non-identity values in addition to freedom.
Philosophy and economics
In this article, we examine how language and linguistic membership might feature in luck egalita... more In this article, we examine how language and linguistic membership might feature in luck
egalitarianism, what a luck-egalitarian theory of linguistic justice would look like, and,
finally, what the emphasis on language teaches us about the validity of standard luckegalitarian
assumptions. We show that belonging to one language group rather than
another is a morally arbitrary feature and that where membership of a specific linguistic
group affects individual chances, the effects of such bad brute luck ought to be neutralized
on the luck-egalitarian view. We assess two ways of redressing those kinds of unjustified
inequalities: the ‘universal language’ option and the ‘linguistic advantages for all’
option. But we also argue, in the second part, that exploring luck egalitarianism through
the lens of language exposes some difficulties intrinsic in many existent luck-egalitarian
theories. We argue that treating circumstances one identifies with as choices is problematic.
In addition, we argue that the linguistic preconditions of both the capacity to be
responsible as well the exercise of responsibility complicate the idea of individual
responsibility on which most luck-egalitarian theories rely. We conclude by suggesting
the need to develop a luck-egalitarian theory of justice which is less reliant on causal
features of the distinction between choice and circumstance and which is more sensitive
to the idea of collective cooperation as opposed to individual responsibility.
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 2015
This introduction does three things. We first give an overview of the lin- guistic justice debate... more This introduction does three things. We first give an overview of the lin- guistic justice debate in normative political philosophy. We then situate Philippe Van Parijs’s position within it, by zooming in on Van Parijs’s two major normative claims: the support of the rise of English as the global lingua franca and the defence of linguistic territoriality. Finally, we clarify how each of the essays that follow this introduction relates to those two claims.
The Cambridge Handbook of Language Policy, 2012
Metaphilosophy, 2009
To respond to globalization-related challenges, many contemporary political theorists have argued... more To respond to globalization-related challenges, many contemporary political theorists have argued for forms of democracy beyond the level of the nation-state. Since the early 1990s, however, political theory has also witnessed a renewed normative defense of nationhood. Liberal nationalists have been influential in claiming that the state should protect and promote national identities, and that it is desirable that the boundaries of national and political units coincide. At first glance, both positionsFglobal democracy and nationalismFseem to contradict each other. We do not share this oppositional picture. Developing a more harmonic picture of nationalist ideals and cosmopolitan visions is the aim of this essay.
Language Problems and Language Planning, 2007
This paper provides an overview of the emerging debates over language policy and linguistic diver... more This paper provides an overview of the emerging debates over language policy and linguistic diversity within political philosophy. It outlines the larger context of this debate and identifies its protagonists and the main issues at stake in it. In addition, it presents an interpretive scheme for the analysis of the variety of approaches that have so far been developed within this field. This scheme relates these approaches back to two clashes of different language ideologies. The first clash is between instrumentalism and constitutivism. The second clash is between transparency and hybridity. Finally, the paper explains why the sociolinguistic literature on language policy should interest political philosophers, and vice versa: why sociolinguists should engage with political philosophy.
Ethical Perspectives, 2005
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 2008
Can global justice simply be seen as social justice writ large? According to Miller it cannot. Se... more Can global justice simply be seen as social justice writ large? According to Miller it cannot. Seen from the viewpoint of justice there are fundamental differences between the national and international sphere. Just like Nagel he strongly rejects monism. Yet unlike Nagel, ...
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 2008
Contemporary political philosophy has only recently witnessed a widespread emergence of analyses ... more Contemporary political philosophy has only recently witnessed a widespread emergence of analyses of justice beyond the context of the nation‐state. When modern political philosophers devised principles of justice in the past, they typically took for granted that ...
adfl, 2008
All material published by the The Association of Departments of Foreign Languages in any medium i... more All material published by the The Association of Departments of Foreign Languages in any medium is protected by copyright. Users may link to the ADFL Web page freely and may quote from ADFL publications as allowed by the doctrine of fair use. Written permission is required for any ...
Federalism in the European Union (eds. E. Cloots, G. Debaere en S. Sottiaux), Oxford: Hart, pp. 169 – 190., 2012
Tijd, evolutie en duurzaamheid Lessen voor de eenentwintigste eeuw, 2013