Stephen K. White
Encyclopedia
Stephen K. White is James Hart Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia
. His research focuses on critical
social
and political theory, philosophy of social science
, and continental
political thought. He has contributed to several scholarly works on Jürgen Habermas
, including The Cambridge Companion to Habermas, which he edited. He is also a past editor of the journal Political Theory.
Recently, White's research has focused upon the concept of weak ontology
, which he uses to describe a non-foundationalist
approach to normative affirmation extrapolated from the works of George Kateb
, Charles Taylor
, Judith Butler
, and William E. Connolly
.
White received his Ph.D. from the City University of New York
in 1980.
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. His research focuses on critical
Critical theory
Critical theory is an examination and critique of society and culture, drawing from knowledge across the social sciences and humanities. The term has two different meanings with different origins and histories: one originating in sociology and the other in literary criticism...
social
Social theory
Social theories are theoretical frameworks which are used to study and interpret social phenomena within a particular school of thought. An essential tool used by social scientists, theories relate to historical debates over the most valid and reliable methodologies , as well as the primacy of...
and political theory, philosophy of social science
Philosophy of social science
The philosophy of social science is the study of the logic and method of the social sciences, such as sociology, anthropology and political science...
, and continental
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
political thought. He has contributed to several scholarly works on Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas is a German sociologist and philosopher in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. He is perhaps best known for his theory on the concepts of 'communicative rationality' and the 'public sphere'...
, including The Cambridge Companion to Habermas, which he edited. He is also a past editor of the journal Political Theory.
Recently, White's research has focused upon the concept of weak ontology
Weak ontology
The term weak ontology has unrelated meanings in computer science and political theory.-Computer science: In computer science, a weak ontology is one that is not sufficiently rigorous to allow software to infer new facts without an intervention by human beings .This distinction does not apply to...
, which he uses to describe a non-foundationalist
Foundationalism
Foundationalism is any theory in epistemology that holds that beliefs are justified based on what are called basic beliefs . This position is intended to resolve the infinite regress problem in epistemology...
approach to normative affirmation extrapolated from the works of George Kateb
George Kateb
George Kateb is William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics, Emeritus, at Princeton University. Kateb, along with John Rawls and Isaiah Berlin, is credited with making significant contributions to liberal political theory...
, Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor (philosopher)
Charles Margrave Taylor, is a Canadian philosopher from Montreal, Quebec best known for his contributions in political philosophy, the philosophy of social science, and in the history of philosophy. His contributions to these fields have earned him both the prestigious Kyoto Prize and the...
, Judith Butler
Judith Butler
Judith Butler is an American post-structuralist philosopher, who has contributed to the fields of feminism, queer theory, political philosophy, and ethics. She is a professor in the Rhetoric and Comparative Literature departments at the University of California, Berkeley.Butler received her Ph.D...
, and William E. Connolly
William E. Connolly
William E. Connolly is a political theorist known for his work on democracy and pluralism. He is the Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. His 1974 work The Terms of Political Discourse won the 1999 Benjamin Lippincott Award.-Biography:Connolly was raised in...
.
White received his Ph.D. from the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
in 1980.
As Editor
- Between Modernity and Postmodernity (1989)
- The Cambridge Companion to Habermas (1995)
- What is Political Theory? (2004) (co-edited with J. Donald Moon)