The Crisis of Normativity in Contemporary Philosophy

The traditional view of normativity is no longer credible, but a view of normativity other than the traditional one is indispensable. On this premise, the following pages present a unique argument that can be conceptually divided into three parts. In the first, I offer a philosophical analysis of the crisis of normativity. In the second part, I reconstruct, from a historical-philosophical perspective, some pivotal passages within contemporary philosophy that highlight the fundamental aspects of the crisis of normativity. Finally, in the third part, I introduce a conception of normativity different from the traditional one. My reflection on these topics has been prompted by the difficulties encountered in ethics and political philosophy in the attempt to sketch a viable theory of normativity for political concepts. In this endeavor, I draw inspiration from the work of John Rawls and Jürgen Habermas. However, in this contribution my aim is to show that the inquiry about the crisis of normativity has a wider meaning for philosophy as a specific method of reflection about human interactions and the meaning of life.