College Honors Program

Cornel West: Self and Community

Date of Creation

5-1-2022

Document Type

Campus Access Only

Department

Philosophy

First Advisor

Lawrence Cahoone

Abstract

Using Cornel West’s overlapping work studying Marxism, Social Democracy, Pragmatism, and Prophetic Christianity, this project will draw out a Westian framework for identity, individuality, and community. This framework, using West’s depiction of the Black Church in the United States, will seek to illustrate his own conception of these topics and develop a way in which they interact with one another. From this, we can determine whether this framework is cohesive within itself and in the way it may relate to the three schools of thought that West attempts to converge. He is known for being interdisciplinary, not in an academic way, but more so in his interests and passions. The thesis weaves through his takes on Prophetic Christianity as an intrinsic good that could benefit from a stronger Marxist lens for critical analysis (West, AEP, 212), a Prophetic Pragmatist philosophy that is political and action-based, and his identity as a Social Democratic who finds commonality between Democratic and Marxist aims (West, AEP, 200). This will be achieved by looking at the compatibility of their sense of human nature, aspirations, and beliefs for all three fields. From this we can determine if West’s view of individuality in relation to community is comprehensive and consistent.

Comments

Reader: Jameliah Shorter-Bourhanou

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