Vittorio Bufacchi
Biographic Data
| ID | 460879 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Vittorio Bufacchi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Vittorio |
| FAMILY NAME | Bufacchi |
| SIGNATURE | BUFACCHI V |
| AFFILIATIONS | University College Cork |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7236-117X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 111 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1994 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Why Cicero Matters
Why Cicero Matters shows us how the Roman philosopher and statesman Marcus Tullius, better known as Cicero, can help realize a new political world. His impact on humanitarianism, the Enlightenment and the Founding Fathers of America is immense. Yet we give Julius Caesar all our attention. Why? What does this say about modern politics and political culture? This book gives us Cicero as an antidote to the myth of the strong man of history. Reading …
War crimes in Ukraine: Is Putin responsible
War crimes are being committed in Ukraine today, but who should be held responsible? By looking at the literature on responsibility and violence by Philippa Foot and John Harris, this article argues that there are grounds for holding Vladimir Putin responsible for war crimes in Ukraine, even if he did not give the command for these crimes and other atrocities to be carried out
Truth, lies and tweets: A Consensus Theory of Post-Truth
This article rejects the received view that Post-Truth is a new, unprecedented political phenomenon. By showing that Truth and Post-Truth share the same genesis, this article will submit the idea of a Consensus Theory of Post-Truth. Part 1 looks at the difference between Post-Truth, lies and bullshit. Part 2 suggests reasons behind the current preoccupation with Post-Truth. Part 3 focuses on Habermas’s influential consensus theory of truth to sug…
Philosophy of education in a new key: On radicalization and violent extremism
This collective paper on radicalization and violent extremism part of the ‘Philosophy of education in a new key’ initiative by Educational Philosophy and Theory brings together some of the leading contemporary scholars writing on the most pressing epistemological, ethical, political and educational issues facing post-9/11 scholarship on radicalization and violent extremism. Its overall aim is to move beyond the ‘conventional wisdom’ associated wi…
Everything must change: Philosophical lessons from lockdown
Taking its cue from Michel de Montaigne, this book asks what COVID-19 can teach us about the ‘art of living’. It examines eight themes from a philosophical perspective, including attitudes to old age, populism and life under lockdown, arguing that the crisis presents opportunities to create a more just society and change our lives for the better
Justice as Non-maleficence
The principle of non-maleficence, primum non nocere, has deep roots in the history of moral philosophy, being endorsed by John Stuart Mill, W. D. Ross, H. L. A. Hart, Karl Popper and Bernard Gert. And yet, this principle is virtually absent from current debates on social justice. This article suggests that non-maleficence is more than a moral principle; it is also a principle of social justice. Part I looks at the origins of non-maleficence as a …
The timeless appeal of Hannah Arendt
Theoretical Foundations for Human Rights
This article explores an alternative to the established dichotomy between philosophical (natural law) accounts of human rights, characterized by a foundationalist tendency, and political (practice-based) accounts of human rights, which aspire to be non-foundationalist. I argue that in order to justify human rights practice, political accounts of human rights cannot do without the support of theoretical foundations, although not necessarily of the…
Colonialism, Injustice, and Arbitrariness
Democratic justice and contractarian injustice
This paper places Weale’s theory in its historical context, clarifying the dispute between Brian Barry’s justice as impartiality and David Gauthier’s justice as mutual advantage. Contra Weale, who argues that justice can involve both mutual advantage and impartiality, this paper suggests that impartiality and mutual advantage are incompatible, and that Barry’s position is preferable to Gauthier’s. Three specific issues will be addressed: First, W…
The Ripples of Violence
The received view in mainstream philosophy is that violence is an 'act', to be defined in terms of 'force' and 'intentionality'. This approach regrettably and inexcusably tends to prioritise the agent performing the act of violence in question. This paper argues that we should resist this tendency, in order to prioritise the victim or survivor of violence, and her personal experience, not that of the perpetrator. Starting from an analysis of the …
Social Injustice: Essays in Political Philosophy
The idea of social injustice is pivotal to much contemporary moral and political philosophy. Starting from a comprehensive and engaging account of the idea of social injustice, this book covers a whol
Rethinking violence
The Truth About Rights
Arguably the biggest challenge facing theories of rights today comes from moral sceptics of all persuasions who are constantly singing the praises of anti-foundationalism, and in so-doing undermining the validity of human rights. This article has two principle aims: to show how different theories of rights tend to presuppose related theories of truth and to argue how Pragmatism, as a theory of truth and a theory of rights, can provide human right…
Violence and Social Justice
One of the most remarkable claims Rawls (1971, 343) makes in A Theory of Justice is when he refers to unjust social arrangements as a kind of violence: ‘Unjust social arrangements are themselves a kind of extortion, even violence, and consent to them does not bind’. This is also one of his least celebrated claims, which explains why it has gone almost totally unnoticed. By comparing unjust social arrangements to a kind of violence, Rawls combines…
Violence and Social Justice
Violence and injustice are two major political problems facing the world today. Offering a fresh, innovative analysis of the concept of violence, this book presents an original insight into the nature
Two Concepts of Violence
The aim of this review article is to explore some theoretical issues regarding the nature and scope of violence. There are two ways of thinking about violence: in terms of an act of force, or in terms of a violation. Those who define violence as an intentional act of excessive or destructive force endorse a narrow conception of violence (the Minimalist Conception of Violence or MCV), while those who see violence in terms of a violation of rights …
Motivating Justice
Political Scepticism: A Reply to the Critics
In a previous article in this journal ( Bufacchi, 2001 ) I argued that political scepticism is a defining characteristic of liberal democracy. I have been criticised for inadequately distinguishing political scepticism from fallibilism (Festenstein, 2001) and for failing to appreciate the role of moral autonomy within liberal democracy (Hyland, this issue). In this article I respond to my critics, first by clarifying the difference between politi…
The injustice of exploitation
Is exploitation unjust? This essay attempts to resolve this famous question by suggesting a new approach to the relationship between exploitation and injustice. The literature on exploitation so far has focussed almost exclusively on the question of the circumstances of exploitation. This paper, by contrast, consists in investigating a different question, namely: what are the motives of exploitation? There are two different types of motive behind…
Execution as Torture
Sceptical Democracy
Two extreme philosophical positions pose a constant threat to democracy. Those who believe in the certainty of their beliefs (totalitarianism) and those who deny the existence of any truth (nihilism and post-modernity) uphold these anti-democratic positions. Squeezed between these two polarities we find liberal democracy. One of the distinctive properties of liberal democracy is its endorsement of a political definition of scepticism. The aim of …
Voting, Rationality and Reputation
Why do people vote? This paper presents a solution to the voting paradox in rational choice theory, based on the interaction between two concepts: externalities (James Coleman) and reputation (Einar Overbye). Elaborating on the idea that voting is an investment in one's reputation, I will argue that there are two concepts of reputation: reputation-of-power and reputation-of-trust. The solution to the voting paradox can be found in the reputation-…
Italy since 1989: Events and Interpretations
List of Tables and Figures Preface to the 2000 Reprint List of Abbreviations Introduction: Understanding Italian Politics in the 1990s Italy and the Ending of the Cold War (November 1989-April 1992) The General Election of April 1992 The Storm Breaks (April-September 1992) Corruption: A Rational Analysis The Close of an Era (September 1992-April 1993) Vox Populi: The Referendum of April 1993 Which Way Forward? (April-December 1993) The General El…
Italy since 1989: Events and Interpretations
Italy Since 1989 provides the first in-depth, fully documented account in English of the extraordinary last eleven years in Italian politics. Bufacchi and Burgess take the transition to a new Italy as
Two Concepts of Violence
The aim of this review article is to explore some theoretical issues regarding the nature and scope of violence. There are two ways of thinking about violence: in terms of an act of force, or in terms of a violation. Those who define violence as an intentional act of excessive or destructive force endorse a narrow conception of violence (the Minimalist Conception of Violence or MCV), while those who see violence in terms of a violation of rights …
Truth, lies and tweets: A Consensus Theory of Post-Truth
This article rejects the received view that Post-Truth is a new, unprecedented political phenomenon. By showing that Truth and Post-Truth share the same genesis, this article will submit the idea of a Consensus Theory of Post-Truth. Part 1 looks at the difference between Post-Truth, lies and bullshit. Part 2 suggests reasons behind the current preoccupation with Post-Truth. Part 3 focuses on Habermas’s influential consensus theory of truth to sug…
Voting, Rationality and Reputation
Why do people vote? This paper presents a solution to the voting paradox in rational choice theory, based on the interaction between two concepts: externalities (James Coleman) and reputation (Einar Overbye). Elaborating on the idea that voting is an investment in one's reputation, I will argue that there are two concepts of reputation: reputation-of-power and reputation-of-trust. The solution to the voting paradox can be found in the reputation-…
The Ripples of Violence
The received view in mainstream philosophy is that violence is an 'act', to be defined in terms of 'force' and 'intentionality'. This approach regrettably and inexcusably tends to prioritise the agent performing the act of violence in question. This paper argues that we should resist this tendency, in order to prioritise the victim or survivor of violence, and her personal experience, not that of the perpetrator. Starting from an analysis of the …
Italy since 1989: Events and Interpretations
List of Tables and Figures Preface to the 2000 Reprint List of Abbreviations Introduction: Understanding Italian Politics in the 1990s Italy and the Ending of the Cold War (November 1989-April 1992) The General Election of April 1992 The Storm Breaks (April-September 1992) Corruption: A Rational Analysis The Close of an Era (September 1992-April 1993) Vox Populi: The Referendum of April 1993 Which Way Forward? (April-December 1993) The General El…
Theoretical Foundations for Human Rights
This article explores an alternative to the established dichotomy between philosophical (natural law) accounts of human rights, characterized by a foundationalist tendency, and political (practice-based) accounts of human rights, which aspire to be non-foundationalist. I argue that in order to justify human rights practice, political accounts of human rights cannot do without the support of theoretical foundations, although not necessarily of the…
Sceptical Democracy
Two extreme philosophical positions pose a constant threat to democracy. Those who believe in the certainty of their beliefs (totalitarianism) and those who deny the existence of any truth (nihilism and post-modernity) uphold these anti-democratic positions. Squeezed between these two polarities we find liberal democracy. One of the distinctive properties of liberal democracy is its endorsement of a political definition of scepticism. The aim of …
Social Justice in Europe: An Evaluation of European Regional Policy
WHEN RAWLS FORMULATED HIS VIEWS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE IN the 1950s and 1960s, leading to the publication of A Theory of Justice in 1971, he based his theory on a simple but unconditional assumption, namely, that justice is the first virtue of social institutions. This assumption Rawls considers to be beyond doubt, so much so that in the very first page of his treatise he claims that ‘laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged mus…
The Truth About Rights
Arguably the biggest challenge facing theories of rights today comes from moral sceptics of all persuasions who are constantly singing the praises of anti-foundationalism, and in so-doing undermining the validity of human rights. This article has two principle aims: to show how different theories of rights tend to presuppose related theories of truth and to argue how Pragmatism, as a theory of truth and a theory of rights, can provide human right…
Motivating Justice
The Coming of Age of Italian Democracy Part I: Literature on Italian Elections 1992–94
For The Last Fifty Years, Italian Politics Have Been remarkably static and predictable: one party (the Christian Democrats) always came out on top, while the Left was always in opposition. Yet in the most unexpected fashion all this changed in April 1996: for the first time in the history of the Italian Republic, a left-wing government has been returned. While the historial significance of the 1996 elections cannot be disputed, it is much more di…
Is European integration politically legitimate
Social Justice in Europe: An Evaluation of European Regional Policy
WHEN RAWLS FORMULATED HIS VIEWS ON SOCIAL JUSTICE IN the 1950s and 1960s, leading to the publication of A Theory of Justice in 1971, he based his theory on a simple but unconditional assumption, namely, that justice is the first virtue of social institutions. This assumption Rawls considers to be beyond doubt, so much so that in the very first page of his treatise he claims that ‘laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged mus…
The Coming of Age of Italian Democracy Part I: Literature on Italian Elections 1992–94
For The Last Fifty Years, Italian Politics Have Been remarkably static and predictable: one party (the Christian Democrats) always came out on top, while the Left was always in opposition. Yet in the most unexpected fashion all this changed in April 1996: for the first time in the history of the Italian Republic, a left-wing government has been returned. While the historial significance of the 1996 elections cannot be disputed, it is much more di…
Italy since 1989: Events and Interpretations
Italy Since 1989 provides the first in-depth, fully documented account in English of the extraordinary last eleven years in Italian politics. Bufacchi and Burgess take the transition to a new Italy as
Italy since 1989: Events and Interpretations
List of Tables and Figures Preface to the 2000 Reprint List of Abbreviations Introduction: Understanding Italian Politics in the 1990s Italy and the Ending of the Cold War (November 1989-April 1992) The General Election of April 1992 The Storm Breaks (April-September 1992) Corruption: A Rational Analysis The Close of an Era (September 1992-April 1993) Vox Populi: The Referendum of April 1993 Which Way Forward? (April-December 1993) The General El…
Execution as Torture
Sceptical Democracy
Two extreme philosophical positions pose a constant threat to democracy. Those who believe in the certainty of their beliefs (totalitarianism) and those who deny the existence of any truth (nihilism and post-modernity) uphold these anti-democratic positions. Squeezed between these two polarities we find liberal democracy. One of the distinctive properties of liberal democracy is its endorsement of a political definition of scepticism. The aim of …
Voting, Rationality and Reputation
Why do people vote? This paper presents a solution to the voting paradox in rational choice theory, based on the interaction between two concepts: externalities (James Coleman) and reputation (Einar Overbye). Elaborating on the idea that voting is an investment in one's reputation, I will argue that there are two concepts of reputation: reputation-of-power and reputation-of-trust. The solution to the voting paradox can be found in the reputation-…
The injustice of exploitation
Is exploitation unjust? This essay attempts to resolve this famous question by suggesting a new approach to the relationship between exploitation and injustice. The literature on exploitation so far has focussed almost exclusively on the question of the circumstances of exploitation. This paper, by contrast, consists in investigating a different question, namely: what are the motives of exploitation? There are two different types of motive behind…
Political Scepticism: A Reply to the Critics
In a previous article in this journal ( Bufacchi, 2001 ) I argued that political scepticism is a defining characteristic of liberal democracy. I have been criticised for inadequately distinguishing political scepticism from fallibilism (Festenstein, 2001) and for failing to appreciate the role of moral autonomy within liberal democracy (Hyland, this issue). In this article I respond to my critics, first by clarifying the difference between politi…
Two Concepts of Violence
The aim of this review article is to explore some theoretical issues regarding the nature and scope of violence. There are two ways of thinking about violence: in terms of an act of force, or in terms of a violation. Those who define violence as an intentional act of excessive or destructive force endorse a narrow conception of violence (the Minimalist Conception of Violence or MCV), while those who see violence in terms of a violation of rights …
Motivating Justice
Violence and Social Justice
One of the most remarkable claims Rawls (1971, 343) makes in A Theory of Justice is when he refers to unjust social arrangements as a kind of violence: ‘Unjust social arrangements are themselves a kind of extortion, even violence, and consent to them does not bind’. This is also one of his least celebrated claims, which explains why it has gone almost totally unnoticed. By comparing unjust social arrangements to a kind of violence, Rawls combines…
Violence and Social Justice
Violence and injustice are two major political problems facing the world today. Offering a fresh, innovative analysis of the concept of violence, this book presents an original insight into the nature
The Truth About Rights
Arguably the biggest challenge facing theories of rights today comes from moral sceptics of all persuasions who are constantly singing the praises of anti-foundationalism, and in so-doing undermining the validity of human rights. This article has two principle aims: to show how different theories of rights tend to presuppose related theories of truth and to argue how Pragmatism, as a theory of truth and a theory of rights, can provide human right…
Rethinking violence
Social Injustice: Essays in Political Philosophy
The idea of social injustice is pivotal to much contemporary moral and political philosophy. Starting from a comprehensive and engaging account of the idea of social injustice, this book covers a whol
Democratic justice and contractarian injustice
This paper places Weale’s theory in its historical context, clarifying the dispute between Brian Barry’s justice as impartiality and David Gauthier’s justice as mutual advantage. Contra Weale, who argues that justice can involve both mutual advantage and impartiality, this paper suggests that impartiality and mutual advantage are incompatible, and that Barry’s position is preferable to Gauthier’s. Three specific issues will be addressed: First, W…
The Ripples of Violence
The received view in mainstream philosophy is that violence is an 'act', to be defined in terms of 'force' and 'intentionality'. This approach regrettably and inexcusably tends to prioritise the agent performing the act of violence in question. This paper argues that we should resist this tendency, in order to prioritise the victim or survivor of violence, and her personal experience, not that of the perpetrator. Starting from an analysis of the …
Colonialism, Injustice, and Arbitrariness
Theoretical Foundations for Human Rights
This article explores an alternative to the established dichotomy between philosophical (natural law) accounts of human rights, characterized by a foundationalist tendency, and political (practice-based) accounts of human rights, which aspire to be non-foundationalist. I argue that in order to justify human rights practice, political accounts of human rights cannot do without the support of theoretical foundations, although not necessarily of the…
The timeless appeal of Hannah Arendt
Justice as Non-maleficence
The principle of non-maleficence, primum non nocere, has deep roots in the history of moral philosophy, being endorsed by John Stuart Mill, W. D. Ross, H. L. A. Hart, Karl Popper and Bernard Gert. And yet, this principle is virtually absent from current debates on social justice. This article suggests that non-maleficence is more than a moral principle; it is also a principle of social justice. Part I looks at the origins of non-maleficence as a …
Truth, lies and tweets: A Consensus Theory of Post-Truth
This article rejects the received view that Post-Truth is a new, unprecedented political phenomenon. By showing that Truth and Post-Truth share the same genesis, this article will submit the idea of a Consensus Theory of Post-Truth. Part 1 looks at the difference between Post-Truth, lies and bullshit. Part 2 suggests reasons behind the current preoccupation with Post-Truth. Part 3 focuses on Habermas’s influential consensus theory of truth to sug…
Philosophy of education in a new key: On radicalization and violent extremism
This collective paper on radicalization and violent extremism part of the ‘Philosophy of education in a new key’ initiative by Educational Philosophy and Theory brings together some of the leading contemporary scholars writing on the most pressing epistemological, ethical, political and educational issues facing post-9/11 scholarship on radicalization and violent extremism. Its overall aim is to move beyond the ‘conventional wisdom’ associated wi…
Political science (27 works) · Law (24 works) · Sociology (19 works) · Law (17 works) · Politics (17 works) · Philosophy (16 works) · Epistemology (13 works) · Philosophy (12 works) · Political Philosophy and Ethics (12 works) · Criminology (8 works)