Description

Ciprian Mihali asks how philosophy helps us grasp digital life. He links human frailty, state power and human rights. He asks why we can have more facts yet know less.

The book is a guide to social philosophy for new readers. It looks at life in Romania today. It is for those who seek clear ways to think about public life. Mihali looks at how architects shape spaces. He also looks at how philosophers shape ideas. He explores biopolitics, which links power to life and the body. He draws on Foucault, Lyotard, Derrida and Nancy. He then asks how the digital age changes social thought.

Mihali questions claims that one takes no side. Such claims can hide harmful moral views. He uses debate and disputes to make sense of daily life. In his view, writing helps us think for ourselves. It helps us question bias and break free of closed beliefs. He explores the choice not to know. Those who make this choice may treat their views as beyond doubt. He asks how this stance shapes groups, networks and public action.

The book draws on his past work and starts new lines of thought. Mihali was born in 1967. He studied philosophy in Cluj and earned his degree in 1992. In 2000, he earned his doctorate through Cluj and Strasbourg. He has taught at Babeș-Bolyai University since 1992. He has also held visiting posts across Europe. From 2012 to 2016, he served as Romania's ambassador to Senegal. His post also covered seven other West African states. He then led work in Western Europe until 2020. This role was with the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie.

His work includes seven books and nine collections he edited. He also translated over 25 works of philosophy into Romanian. France awarded him the Academic Palms in 2012. The Romanian Academy honoured his work in diplomacy in 2017.