Intellectum Eurozine Intellectum2013-07-15Abstracts for Intellectum 9 (2012)Victor Tsilonis
Editorial: Another groundhog day in Greece
The suicide of a pensioner outside the Greek parliament, the latest in a series, sums up the mood of a population confronted with the steady erosion of its rights. Victor Tsilonis wonders whether tomorrow will be just another day in Greece's "predestined" future.David S. Oderberg
The conquest of Greece
In an age when most people have a concentration span of a few minutes, it may seem that the 'Greek crisis' is over. The country has received its second bailout (Euro 130b), private bondholders have taken a 75% loss, and at the time of writing (end of March, 2012) everything has gone quiet. The European Union, via the ECB and the tough political banging of heads by Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy, has prevented a firestorm of defaults across the continent, and saved poor Greece from national collapse.Athina Avgitidou
Depoliticization and democratic deficit: from financial crisis to the crisis of democracy
The depoliticization of economic practices combined with the highly refined and simultaneously provocative idea that economic freedom in the context of capitalism constitutes the necessary condition of democratic emancipation, leads to the acceptance of the current economic relations regardless of the failures and inequalities it creates. This acceptance- intentional or not- results to the reproduction and legitimation of the economic status quo. In any case, alternative ways of organizing economic relations are demonized as ether inconceivable or illegitimate, unjust or irrational.Costas Lapavitsas
Euro or Drachma: An inevitable storm
Costas Lapavitsas, professor of economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London discusses the nature and the causes of the current financial crisis. He criticizes the European Union's policies and the destructive effects of the Memorandum and he proposes an alternative solution of exiting the crisis. He warns us about the difficulties such a solution entails but considers the return to the Greek drachma as the best reaction to the crisis in the long run. George Dourakis
The great depression: The disastrous economic policy of Eurozone and our painful choices in the future
George Dourakis, professor of Political Economy (AUTH), examines the effect of the global financial crisis to the Greek economy. He criticizes the austerity policies imposed by the Eurozone and argues that Keynesianism is the most appropriate policy for the Greek economy to reach the desirable growth. As he points out: "Today, expenditures have been stigmatized in a completely negative way. However, if both the public and the private sector simultaneously reduce their spending, the logic consequence is that recession will continually worsen and unemployment will increase further more". Athina Avgitidou, Victor Tsilonis
Yannis Mylopoulos: The Greek university crisis
The problems of the Greek university are all known for decades. However, the prolonged period of deep economic, social and political crisis we are experiencing has led not only to the intensification of the known disorders but also to the emergence of new problems-except of nepotism, cronyism and corruption- due to the authoritarian attitude of the state. In the context of this particular historical period, the conduct of an interview with the rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Yannis Mylopoulos, seems extremely timely and essential.Bartosz Wojciechowski
Human rights as the basis of a multicultural society
Multicultural society is metaphorically referred to as "the orchestra of the human race" in which every ethnic group is equally valuable tool, preserving its diversity, but nonetheless ready to play in an orchestra, that is to work within a given community or society. It seems therefore quite trivial to say that in every 21 century society there are various forms of social life. Among numerous different styles (forms) of a good human life there are also those that are neither better nor worse nor equal in value in respect to one another but they are valuable in a disproportionate or diverse manner. The fact of multiculturalism plays an important role in shaping the law and in the way how various state institutions function.Antonis Galanopoulos
The role of psychology in social revolutions: the approach of liberation
The present article attempts to highlight the political dimension of psychology and particularly its political use during periods of crises. Initially, it shows how psychology is employed by the dominant discourse in order to depoliticize social phenomena. It then attempts to cancel the argument of the neutrality promoted by dominant psychological theories and presents the approach of liberation psychology which recognizes its political role and stands by the side of the struggling people. The full table of contents of Intellectum 9/2013