Skip to main content

Darrell Arnold

Miami Dade College, Department of Arts and Philosophy, North Campus, Faculty Member

Followers

151

Following

28

Co-authors

2

Public Views

Darrell Arnold is co-editor (with Andres Michel) of Critical Theory and the Thought of Andrew Feenberg (MacMillan/Palgrave 2017) and Traditions of Systems Theory (Routledge 2013). Among his numerous translations from German are Matthias Vogel’s Media of Reason (Columbia UP 2012) and Chrys Mantzavinos’ Naturalistic Hermeneutics (Cambridge UP 2006). Darrell has published in numerous areas, including social and political theory, ethics, the philosophy of science, the philosophy of technology, and environmental philosophy. From 2014 to 2019 Darrell was President of the Humanities and Technology Association (HTA). From 2012 thru 2014, he was editor of the Humanities and Technology Review, the journal of the HTA. Before taking his position at Miami Dade, he was on the faculty at St. Thomas University. In 2015-2016 he served as Interim Dean of St. Thomas' Biscayne College; in 2014-2015 he was director of the St. Thomas University’s Institute for World Languages and Cultures.

less

The University of Texas at Austin

University of California, Santa Barbara

Central European University

Fordham University

Shaun Gallagher

University of Memphis

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Istanbul 29 Mayis University

Francisco Vazquez-Garcia

Universidad de Cadiz

InterestsView All (10)

Uploads

Papers by Darrell Arnold

The enduring relevance of the model Platonism critique for economics and public policy

Journal of Institutional Economics, Apr 12, 2012

The article briefly introduces Hans Albert and the basic elements of his critique of neoclassical... more The article briefly introduces Hans Albert and the basic elements of his critique of neoclassical economics as a form of 'model Platonism'. The two most important elements of his general methodological critique of economics-namely the institutional vacuum inherent in much economic modelling and its unrealistic assumptions about behaviour-are introduced. It is argued that these specific critiques have been taken up with varying degrees of success in areas of economic research such as institutional economics and in behavioural and experimental research programmes. However, the fundamental methodological gist of his critique remains as pertinent to mainstream economics as it was when originally formulated. The influence of 'model Platonic' thinking remains pervasive in academia and also in public policy.

Communicative action, a path through the dissonance between nursing and corporate healthcare values

Nursing Inquiry

There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public&#3... more There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public's health and at the same time ensuring shareholder profit among the many private organizations that provide care to those in need. As a result, nurses (often the frontline workers in this mixed public/private and economized system) may experience dissonance between their professional values and the capitalistic values embodied in the healthcare system. Beyond the workplace, nurses are also committed to championing health and wellness, to advocating for social justice, and driving health policy. Yet, constrained by the conflicts between neoliberal values in an economized system and the values of care that inspire many to join the healthcare profession, nurses may lose the ability to live up to their moral ideals, to champion social justice, and to improve public health outcomes. In this paper, we use the critical theory of Juergen Habermas to explore these tensions and to suggest a path...

The enduring relevance of the model Platonism critique for economics and public policy – Addendum

Journal of Institutional Economics, Jul 4, 2012

Communicative action, a path through the dissonance between nursing and corporate healthcare values

by Julia Buss and Darrell Arnold

Nursing Inquiry, 2023

There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public's ... more There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public's health and at the same time ensuring shareholder profit among the many private organizations that provide care to those in need. As a result, nurses (often the frontline workers in this mixed public/private and economized system) may experience dissonance between their professional values and the capitalistic values embodied in the healthcare system. Beyond the workplace, nurses are also committed to championing health and wellness, to advocating for social justice, and driving health policy. Yet, constrained by the conflicts between neoliberal values in an economized system and the values of care that inspire many to join the healthcare profession, nurses may lose the ability to live up to their moral ideals, to champion social justice, and to improve public health outcomes. In this paper, we use the critical theory of Juergen Habermas to explore these tensions and to suggest a path forward for nurses. We suggest that by engaging in dialog with each other and the public, and working for greater inclusivity, nurses can find ways to deconstruct ideologies inherent in our current healthcare system, to consider alternatives, and liberate healthcare from the dominance of market forces.

Systems Theory: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century

Routledge, Dec 17, 2013

Critical Theory and the Thought of Andrew Feenberg

Nineteenth-century life sciences and Hegel's organic view of systems

Kenneth Boulding's Theory of Social Ecosystems

Jose V. Ciprut, ed., "Ethics, Politics, and Democracy: From Primordial Principles to Prospective Practices." Reviewed by

Philosophy in review, 2011

Ethics, Politics, and Democracy: From Primordial Principles to Prospective Practices, edited by J... more Ethics, Politics, and Democracy: From Primordial Principles to Prospective Practices, edited by Jose V. Ciprut, provides a selection of essays that were presented as part of the annual Penn State seminar cycle, Cross Campus Conversations at Penn. Positively, numerous essays in the volume are excellent. Negatively, though Ciprut writes in the preface that the articles are 'intimately braided' pieces, each 'discerningly aware of, and discriminatingly attentive to, its others,' this is clearly not the case. A tough decision was averted to omit thematically unsuitable and academically remiss articles. In general, however, despite the unevenness of the quality of the contributions, this book should be stimulating to those working on ethics and democratic theory.

Fred Dallmayr , The Promise of Democracy: Political Agency and Transformation . Reviewed by

Philosophy in review, 2011

Andrew Feenberg , The Philosophy of Praxis: Marx, Lukács and the Frankfurt School . Reviewed by

Philosophy in review, 2015

Kwame Anthony Appiah, "Experiments in Ethics." Reviewed by

Philosophy in review, 2010

Appiah's book is one of the best philosophical accounts to date to reflect on the ethical repercu... more

Andrew Feenberg’s Ecological Modernism

Andrew Feenberg has proposed a green democratic theory that aligns with his philosophy of technol... more Andrew Feenberg has proposed a green democratic theory that aligns with his philosophy of technology. His calls move in the direction of the thought of Robyn Eckersley and John Dryzek, who, also both inspired by Frankfurt School Critical Theory, develop a critical political ecology. In this chapter, I outline Feenberg’s position and suggest that his views would be complimented and productively expanded by integrating insights, among others, from Eckersley and Dryzek, that focus particularly on the global dimensions of the environmental thematic and the need, in this context, to develop a theory of democracy for the global technological and ecological risks. Given the transnational influence of technologies, any green democratic theory meant to address technological issues must be global in reach. What is needed are multidimensional, multilevel efforts that aim at positively affecting state and regional and transnational governmental bodies as well as work in transnational civil soci...

Andrew Biro, ed. , Critical Ecologies: The Frankfurt School and Contemporary Environmental Crises . Reviewed by

Critical Ecologies: The Frankfurt School and Contemporary Environmental Crisis is an excellent co... more Critical Ecologies: The Frankfurt School and Contemporary Environmental Crisis is an excellent compilation of articles on the continued relevance of the reflections of the Frankfurt school for environmental philosophy. The book comprises 12 chapters, an introduction, and an afterward, all of outstanding quality. The point of the volume, as Biro presents it, is in part to redress what Robyn Eckersley in the 1990s called the 'failed promise of Critical Theory' (9) to make a substantial contribution to environmental philosophy.

John S. Dryzek , Foundations and Frontiers of Deliberative Governance . Reviewed by

John Abromeit , Max Horkheimer and the Foundations of the Frankfurt School . Reviewed by

Chapter 8: Greening Democracy: A Defence of Critical Political Theory

From Ego to Eco

Political Epistemology

Hegel-Jahrbuch, 2008

Hegel and ecologically oriented system theory. Journal of Philosophy: A Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry, vol. 7, no. 16. (2011), 53-64

Roads, Cars, and Big Oil: The Risks of a Malformed Ecosystem

The enduring relevance of the model Platonism critique for economics and public policy

Journal of Institutional Economics, Apr 12, 2012

The article briefly introduces Hans Albert and the basic elements of his critique of neoclassical... more The article briefly introduces Hans Albert and the basic elements of his critique of neoclassical economics as a form of 'model Platonism'. The two most important elements of his general methodological critique of economics-namely the institutional vacuum inherent in much economic modelling and its unrealistic assumptions about behaviour-are introduced. It is argued that these specific critiques have been taken up with varying degrees of success in areas of economic research such as institutional economics and in behavioural and experimental research programmes. However, the fundamental methodological gist of his critique remains as pertinent to mainstream economics as it was when originally formulated. The influence of 'model Platonic' thinking remains pervasive in academia and also in public policy.

Communicative action, a path through the dissonance between nursing and corporate healthcare values

Nursing Inquiry

There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public&#3... more There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public's health and at the same time ensuring shareholder profit among the many private organizations that provide care to those in need. As a result, nurses (often the frontline workers in this mixed public/private and economized system) may experience dissonance between their professional values and the capitalistic values embodied in the healthcare system. Beyond the workplace, nurses are also committed to championing health and wellness, to advocating for social justice, and driving health policy. Yet, constrained by the conflicts between neoliberal values in an economized system and the values of care that inspire many to join the healthcare profession, nurses may lose the ability to live up to their moral ideals, to champion social justice, and to improve public health outcomes. In this paper, we use the critical theory of Juergen Habermas to explore these tensions and to suggest a path...

The enduring relevance of the model Platonism critique for economics and public policy – Addendum

Journal of Institutional Economics, Jul 4, 2012

Communicative action, a path through the dissonance between nursing and corporate healthcare values

by Julia Buss and Darrell Arnold

Nursing Inquiry, 2023

There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public's ... more There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public's health and at the same time ensuring shareholder profit among the many private organizations that provide care to those in need. As a result, nurses (often the frontline workers in this mixed public/private and economized system) may experience dissonance between their professional values and the capitalistic values embodied in the healthcare system. Beyond the workplace, nurses are also committed to championing health and wellness, to advocating for social justice, and driving health policy. Yet, constrained by the conflicts between neoliberal values in an economized system and the values of care that inspire many to join the healthcare profession, nurses may lose the ability to live up to their moral ideals, to champion social justice, and to improve public health outcomes. In this paper, we use the critical theory of Juergen Habermas to explore these tensions and to suggest a path forward for nurses. We suggest that by engaging in dialog with each other and the public, and working for greater inclusivity, nurses can find ways to deconstruct ideologies inherent in our current healthcare system, to consider alternatives, and liberate healthcare from the dominance of market forces.

Systems Theory: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century

Routledge, Dec 17, 2013

Critical Theory and the Thought of Andrew Feenberg

Nineteenth-century life sciences and Hegel's organic view of systems

Kenneth Boulding's Theory of Social Ecosystems

Jose V. Ciprut, ed., "Ethics, Politics, and Democracy: From Primordial Principles to Prospective Practices." Reviewed by

Philosophy in review, 2011

Ethics, Politics, and Democracy: From Primordial Principles to Prospective Practices, edited by J... more Ethics, Politics, and Democracy: From Primordial Principles to Prospective Practices, edited by Jose V. Ciprut, provides a selection of essays that were presented as part of the annual Penn State seminar cycle, Cross Campus Conversations at Penn. Positively, numerous essays in the volume are excellent. Negatively, though Ciprut writes in the preface that the articles are 'intimately braided' pieces, each 'discerningly aware of, and discriminatingly attentive to, its others,' this is clearly not the case. A tough decision was averted to omit thematically unsuitable and academically remiss articles. In general, however, despite the unevenness of the quality of the contributions, this book should be stimulating to those working on ethics and democratic theory.

Fred Dallmayr , The Promise of Democracy: Political Agency and Transformation . Reviewed by

Philosophy in review, 2011

Andrew Feenberg , The Philosophy of Praxis: Marx, Lukács and the Frankfurt School . Reviewed by

Philosophy in review, 2015

Kwame Anthony Appiah, "Experiments in Ethics." Reviewed by

Philosophy in review, 2010

Appiah's book is one of the best philosophical accounts to date to reflect on the ethical repercu... more

Andrew Feenberg’s Ecological Modernism

Andrew Feenberg has proposed a green democratic theory that aligns with his philosophy of technol... more Andrew Feenberg has proposed a green democratic theory that aligns with his philosophy of technology. His calls move in the direction of the thought of Robyn Eckersley and John Dryzek, who, also both inspired by Frankfurt School Critical Theory, develop a critical political ecology. In this chapter, I outline Feenberg’s position and suggest that his views would be complimented and productively expanded by integrating insights, among others, from Eckersley and Dryzek, that focus particularly on the global dimensions of the environmental thematic and the need, in this context, to develop a theory of democracy for the global technological and ecological risks. Given the transnational influence of technologies, any green democratic theory meant to address technological issues must be global in reach. What is needed are multidimensional, multilevel efforts that aim at positively affecting state and regional and transnational governmental bodies as well as work in transnational civil soci...

Andrew Biro, ed. , Critical Ecologies: The Frankfurt School and Contemporary Environmental Crises . Reviewed by

Critical Ecologies: The Frankfurt School and Contemporary Environmental Crisis is an excellent co... more Critical Ecologies: The Frankfurt School and Contemporary Environmental Crisis is an excellent compilation of articles on the continued relevance of the reflections of the Frankfurt school for environmental philosophy. The book comprises 12 chapters, an introduction, and an afterward, all of outstanding quality. The point of the volume, as Biro presents it, is in part to redress what Robyn Eckersley in the 1990s called the 'failed promise of Critical Theory' (9) to make a substantial contribution to environmental philosophy.

John S. Dryzek , Foundations and Frontiers of Deliberative Governance . Reviewed by

John Abromeit , Max Horkheimer and the Foundations of the Frankfurt School . Reviewed by

Chapter 8: Greening Democracy: A Defence of Critical Political Theory

From Ego to Eco

Political Epistemology

Hegel-Jahrbuch, 2008

Hegel and ecologically oriented system theory. Journal of Philosophy: A Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry, vol. 7, no. 16. (2011), 53-64

Roads, Cars, and Big Oil: The Risks of a Malformed Ecosystem

Critical Theory and the Thought of Andrew Feenberg (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2017)

by Andreas Michel and Darrell Arnold

Andrew Feenberg has long made a valuable contribution to critical theory. His particular focus ha... more Andrew Feenberg has long made a valuable contribution to critical theory. His particular focus has been on technology, an issue that original members of the Frankfurt School viewed as vitally important but that has seldom been treated systemically in later largely Habermas-inspired versions of critical theory. Feenberg, who studied with Marcuse, has not only followed in the footsteps of the original Frankfurt School in devoting considerable systemic thought to this issue, but along with Steven Vogel and Douglas Kellner, who both contribute to this volume, he has in other ways further developed a form of critical theory more Marcusean than Habermasian in inspiration. More than merely developing critical theory of technology, Feenberg has also been an astute critical interpreter of major critical theorists—or philosophers of praxis—including Marx, Lukács, and the Frankfurt School.
Though one volume has been published on Feenberg’s contribution to philosophy, that work focuses especially on Feenberg’s philosophy of technology. The idea for the present volume is different. Various essays here do engage Feenberg’s views on technology. However, in general the volume casts a broader net. The book was conceived after Feenberg’s publication of Philosophy of Praxis: Marx, Lukács, and the Frankfurt School, a volume in which Feenberg particularly displays his skills as a philosophical interpreter and theoretician within the philosophy of praxis. Many of the contributions here take up those broader issues of critical theory, even when they do also dovetail into questions of technology. Part I of this volume contains essays focused on Feenberg’s views of Marx and Lukács, and the continued relevance of these views. Part II focuses on Feenberg’s explicit views on democracy. Part III examines Feenberg’s views particularly in light of contemporary developments in Continental phenomenology and postmodernism and in reference to pertinent discussions in philosophy of technology.

Traditions of Systems Theory (Taylor and Francis, 2013)

This edited volume provides the most thorough overview of the traditions of systems thinking avai... more

Philip Cafaro and Eileen Crist, editors. Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Overpopulation

Environmental Philosophy, 2013

John Abromeit , Max Horkheimer and the Foundations of the Frankfurt School . Reviewed by

Philosophy in Review, Apr 30, 2013

Jose V. Ciprut, ed. , Ethics, Politics, and Democracy: From Primordial Principles to Prospective Practices . Reviewed by

Philosophy in Review, 2011

Fred Dallmayr , The Promise of Democracy: Political Agency and Transformation . Reviewed by

Philosophy in Review, 2011

Kwame Anthony Appiah, Experiments in Ethics . Reviewed by

Philosophy in Review, 2010

Review of Philip Cafaro's and Eileen Crist's, Life on the Brink: Environmentalists Confront Natural Disaster

John Dryzek's Foundations and Frontiers of Deliberative Governance

I do regular reviews for Philosophy in Review. Here is a link to a page with numerous reviews, in... more

Model Platonism: Neoclassical economic thought in critical light (written by Hans Albert), translated together with Frank Maier-Rigaud

I cotranslated this classic text in German philosophy of economics together with the economist Fr... more

Media of Reason, Translator (Columbia UP, 2013)

Media of Reason, written by Matthias Vogel, was published with Columbia U P, 2012, in their serie... more Media of Reason, written by Matthias Vogel, was published with Columbia U P, 2012, in their series on critical theory. The book challenges the belief, dominant in contemporary philosophy, that reason is determined solely by our discursive, linguistic abilities as communicative beings. In his view, the medium of language is not the only force of reason. Music, art, and other nonlinguistic forms of communication and understanding are also significant. Introducing an expansive theory of mind that accounts for highly sophisticated, penetrative media, Vogel advances a novel conception of rationality while freeing philosophy from its exclusive attachment to linguistics.

Naturalistic Hermeneutics, Translator (Cambridge UP, 2006)

Naturalistic Hermeneutics, translated in collaboration with the author, Chrys Mantzavinos, propos... more Naturalistic Hermeneutics, translated in collaboration with the author, Chrys Mantzavinos, proposes the position of the unity of the scientific method and defends it against the claim to autonomy of the human sciences. Mantzavinos shows how materials that are 'meaningful', more specifically human actions and texts, can be adequately dealt with by the hypothetico-deductive method, the standard method used in the natural sciences. The hermeneutic method is not an alternative method aimed at the understanding and the interpretation of human actions and texts, but it is the same as the hypothetico-deductive method applied to meaningful materials. The central thesis advocated by Mantzavinos is, thus, that there is no fundamental methodological difference between natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Advanced students and professionals across philosophy, social and political theory, and the humanities will find this a compelling and controversial book.