Taking Charge

Manuel Cruz is Professor of Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Barcelona, Spain. A renowned philosopher and public intellectual, he has authored and edited over 20 books, many of which were translated into other languages. He also runs a monthly column in El Pais.

Manuel Cruz is, together with few other Spanish philosophers, the reference of what is going on in Spain's contemporary philosophy. This book could be easily summed up with the following post-Marxist slogan: "until now men seemed fit to describe the world, now the moment has arrived for them to take it on." Cruz is alarmed by lack of responsibility in men today, that is, regardless of what is happening in the world, the first impression we get is that men find themselves less than ever responsible. It seems more difficult than ever to accuse, on whatever ground, someone even of things he himself is against, such as global warming, nuclear proliferation, or even racism which are all spread throughout the world. Although this is his first book translated into English, it will not be the last. --Santiago Zabala,  Santiago Zabala is ICREA Research Professor at the University of Barcelona and coauthor of Hermeneutic Communism

• Preface by Gianni Vattimo Foreword Introduction I. The Problem that Concerns us: Responsibility and Identity II. Towards an Innocent Responsibility III. Nostalgia for the Horizon IV. An Opportunity for a Different Identity V. Responsibility, the Responsible and the Respondents Epilogue. The Insomniac's Meditation