フリオ・セルッティ, エノ・ルドルフ編『ヨーロッパの心 (魂)』

抄録

This book, with a title of A Soul for Europe, is essentially a scholarly research, devoted for seeking a European Identity both from the political and cultural aspects.
Deep and unprecedented multilateral investigation is achieved herein in regard to the necessity of defining and building a common identity for the European citizens and organizations.
It is composed of two volumes, of which Vol. 1, reader, is allotted for a broad sphere of general readers, with a comparatively plain description, focused mainly on the political identity in Europe. In its substantial introductory chapter, Prof. F. Cerutti emphasizes, above all, the importance of the political identity of Europe, which underlies the basic parts of this book. He looks at the upcoming of thin political identity of the Europeans' as a post-national and post-modern feature, which will become a precondition of EU's democratic legitimacy. He also points out that a European identity is not necessary monolith, and that it has metaphorically two main moments, i. e. Mirror Identity and Wall Identity, of which the former one will help looking at oneself in an internal mirror, whereas the latter will let one be aware of one's group consistency and individuality, while being conscious of one's boundary from the others. He even says that the current deficit of democracy of EU could be attributed to the lack of identity in EU.
Ranged widely from Prof. J. Weiler's chapter on “European Democracy and the Principle of Toleration”, up to Prof. E. Rudolph's “Historical Manifestations of European Identity and its Failures”, it covers intensively various subjects, including European citizens, Social Justice and Solidarity, Freedom and Human rights, Wars and Peace, National borders etc, in order to concentrate on European identity.
In the Second Volume, Scientific Essay collection, on the other hand, Prof. E. Rudolph points out, first of all, the necessity of surveying the origin of the historical Europe in order to search for the European identity, and many indepth analyses of the essential issues of identity, such as, religion, art, myth, civil society, etc, follow thereafter.
As for the cultural aspect, references are made, for example, for “Religions and Iconoclastic debate”, “Role of Political Identity in the Modern myths”, and as for the political aspect, for “Role of economy on conforming European civilization” and for the difference between “Europe and the West”, together with several contributions from outside of Europe.
If it were not based on identity, no polity could be legitimate, nor any law or any rule will be made effective, if it were not rooted on the souls of citizens, it insists.
Prof. Therborn addresses in his prominent chapter that the future of Europe relies principally on an adequate recognition of European history essentially by European citizens, intellectuals and the politicians.
What it signifies to provide with European soul, is to find out ultimately, through an incessant discussion by the public, what kind of values, what sort of legal principles and what type of political perspectives, would be most suitable in order that Europe could prescribe the reasons why they need to build a new political paradigms.
In this way, it apparently aims to raise pluralistic public debates to be created, centered on various values, principles or on fundamental policies how to conform a core on common identity in Europe.
It further says, by quoting Mr. Morin's phrase, that what is required for the current Europe is, not to seek for the old identity, but rather to rediscover a new identity of Europe. It stipulates that, to think of Europe on how to take responsibility on a global basis is to think of Europe, well conscious of the limits of morals, society and environments closely in connection with the modern world of globalization.