The decontamination of German history: Jürgen Habermas and the ‘Historikerstreit’ in West Germany

The ‘Historikerstreit’ in West Germany was opened by the non-historian Habermas who sought to expose what he saw as a ‘scandalous’ revision of aspects of the history of German fascism on the part of leading conservative historians like Nolte, Hillgruber and Stürmer. Habermas sees this revisionism in the wider context of the perceived need to foster a new German nationalism as a means of legitimation. The attempt to decontaminate German history would seem to derive from the need to resist the demands for political realignment in West Germany and to establish a strong pedigree of German anti-communism which takes in National Socialism and its membership of the Anti-Comintern Pact as well as West Germany's membership of NATO. Habermas's critique of conservative historians and the non-rational assumptions of their philosophy of history is essentially linked to his critique of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Derrida and Foucault and his identification of a common paralyzing influence on discourse.     

网络交易中经营者与消费者的权益平衡

经营者与消费者作为网络交易的双方主体,在市场经济体制下对其权益全面加以保护具有异乎寻常的重要性。然而,现行理论总是立足于消费者一方的权益保护,而忽视经营者一方的权益保护。为平衡网络交易中消费者与经营者的权益,挖掘现行网络交易中的双方权益平衡的缺陷,本文参考外国相关法律法规,从网络交易运行模式和法律视角探寻网络交易中经营者与消费者的权益平衡方式,以完善网络交易市场,促进市场经济秩序的完善。     

From neoliberalism to neocommunitarianism: opposing justifications in a dispute over privatized electricity infrastructure

It is becoming increasingly clear that neoliberal ideological efforts to depoliticize politics have come to incorporate arguments once associated with radical communitarian, localist and existential critiques of capitalism. This article contributes to cross-disciplinary discussion of how and on what terms this process of assimilation has taken place. It first describes the rise of neocommunitarian politics and policy-making in the privatized electricity system of a “first-mover” neoliberal state, Australia. It then examines in detail a dispute over a proposed upgrade to a piece of electricity system infrastructure in a formerly industrial, working-class and immigrant, now post-industrial, bourgeois-bohemian and gentrified suburb of inner-Melbourne, Victoria. The study reveals a shift over time in the strategy of the protest group convened to resist the proposed upgrade. Originally using NIMBY-like arguments to oppose the upgrade, the group gradually transformed its strategy into a more general critique of privatization and marketization, and of the use of neocommunitarianism by state and market interests to promote economic growth. Generalizing from this case study, we suggest that such a transformation in protest strategy signals the possibility of a new culture of awareness that neocommunitarianism is little more than a response by states and markets to public rejection of free-market reforms. Moreover, the transformation of the protesters' strategy heralds the possibility of a renewal in critical thought and practice, one that is repoliticizing politics by challenging the marketizing and privatizing of public goods.     

Adorno and the Problems of a Critical Construction of the Historical Present

Abstract

This paper argues that Adorno's metaphysics can be rescued from the constellation of his messianic materialism. The recovery of metaphysics in this context also means that it is rescued as the basis of possible critique. Rescue here entails that the ideas of truth, freedom, justice and democracy should be seen as transcending whatever is empirically given, while remaining immanently operative within society. These ideas can still be drawn on for a critique of the present, thus renewing the original project of critical theory.     

Electoral Choice

ABSTRACT

The study examines the electoral psychology of voters, focusing on voters' locus of control, perceived risk, voter decision involvement and electoral control and positive affect as determinants of political satisfaction and voting stability in elections. The results indicated that locus of control influences voters' perceived risk and feelings of electoral control in elections. Further, locus of control and perceived risk influence voter decision involvement, which in turn influences perceived electoral control. Also, voter decision involvement and positive affect influence satisfaction. These, in turn, influence the propensity to vote for the same candidate or party over time (stability of voting behavior).     

Consumer Redress Legislation: Simplifying or Subverting the Law of Contract

The growth of statutory consumer protection regimes in modern commercial societies has the potential profoundly to disrupt the private law landscape. Such schemes aim to increase access to justice for consumers by offering simplified and clear suites of rights and corresponding remedies. In so doing, however, they affect core areas of private law rights and remedies, and may come to undermine or replace existing contractual principles and policies. The result could be an incoherent system of private law with different principles and rules applying to commercial and consumer transactions. Coherence in the law requires that lawyers abandon their traditional ‘oil and water’ attitudes to legislative schemes and confront directly the interactions between these two bodies of law. This paper engages in that enquiry by considering the relationship between the relatively new consumer redress provisions in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and general law principles.     

院前急救法律关系探究——患者拨打120后的法律关系分析

120急救中心与患者的关系在院前医疗法律关系研究中还处于一个相对薄弱的研究领域,理论界对其研究不够成熟,实务界也存在很多问题。关于两者法律关系的定位及120急救中心的性质、权利义务等问题尚待进一步确实。通过对120急救中心的性质分析,及其与患者之间的法律关系定位,以及医疗急救服务合同的内容的分析等方面阐述自己的一点看法。最后通过一点建议希望能对实务有所借鉴和启发。     

美国2009年《个人消费者金融保护署法案》及其对我国金融监管法制的启示

为应对金融危机,保护金融消费者利益,加强对金融机构的监管,预防金融系统性风险的发生,奥巴马政府酝酿对美国金融监管体系进行彻底改革,其改革方案的核心就是设立个人消费者金融保护署。对于金融监管法律存在诸多缺陷、金融消费者权利保障不到位以及没有构建应对系统性风险的我国金融法律制度来说,美国2009年《个人消费者金融保护署法案》在金融消费者权利保护及存在系统性风险金融产品及服务监管方面是一个可以借鉴的“他山之石”。     

论消费者义务

本文基于消费者义务而展开论述,先对非理性消费行为的表现形式从三个角度作了界定,然后分析其成因和社会危害并论证了建构消费者义务规范体系的必要性。最后,从受教育义务和消费者特定信息的提供义务、守法义务和遵守约定义务、依法行使权利的义务、不得为害的义务和诚实守信的义务以及尊重社会公序良俗的义务等角度提出建议。     

网络交易平台提供商的法律定位

目前我国法律关于网络交易平台提供商的义务并无明文规定,各种纠纷发生后其所应当承担的法律责任如何认定亦是法律上的一个难题。网络交易平台提供商在性质上是独立于交易双方的中介,其通过平台的技术支持,实现交易的自动完成。因此,对于网络交易平台提供商不能完全套用现有的法律进行规制,应当根据其自身的特点设定其应当承担的法律义务及法律责任。网络交易平台提供商对于注册用户之间的交易纠纷应承担过错责任。