Moral Tradition And Individuality

Author : John Kekes
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2021-01-12
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780691223025

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Moral Tradition and Individuality by John Kekes Pdf

In this study, John Kekes develops the view that good lives depend on maintaining a balance between one's moral tradition and individuality. Our moral tradition provides the forms of good lives and the permissible ways of trying to achieve them. But to do so, the author argues, we must grow in self-knowledge and self-control to make our characters suitable for realizing our aspirations. In addressing general readers as well as scholars, Kekes makes these philosophical views concrete by drawing on a rich variety of literary sources, including, among others, the works of Sophocles, Henry James, Tolstoy, and Edith Wharton. The first half of the work concentrates on social morality, establishing the conditions all good lives must meet. The second discusses personal morality, the sphere of individuality. Its development enables us to discover what is important to us and how we can fit our personal aspirations into the forms of life our moral tradition provides. Kekes's argument derives its inspiration from Aristotle's objectivism, Hume's emphasis on custom and feeling, and Mill's concentration on individuals and their experiments in living. This book is a nontechnical yet closely reasoned attempt to provide a contemporary answer to the age-old question of how to live well.

Author : János Kristóf Nyíri
Publisher : Springer
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 1992-06-30
Category : Education
ISBN : UOM:39015032985007

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Tradition and Individuality by János Kristóf Nyíri Pdf

A volume of essays on the themes of tradition, oral communication versus literal communication, Wittgenstein, and computers. The later Wittgenstein is shown to be on the one hand a traditionalist, and on the other hand, along with Heidegger, a philosopher of postmodern -- secondary -- orality, yearning for bygone, premodern times -- the times of primary orality. Under conditions of primary orality traditions fulfilled the specific cognitive role of conserving information -- a role subsequently taken over by writing, and today by electronic data processing. The message of the volume is that the Western values of individuality and critical thinking are intimately bound up with the technology of writing. It offers arguments in favour of the standards and techniques of classical education even under conditions of, indeed as a foundation for, the emerging computer culture.

Author : John Kekes
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2018-10-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781501721861

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Moral Wisdom and Good Lives by John Kekes Pdf

In this profound and yet accessible book, John Kekes discusses moral wisdom: a virtue essential to living a morally good and personally satisfying life. He advances a broad, nontechnical argument that considers the adversities inherent in the human condition and assists in the achievement of good lives. The possession of moral wisdom, Kekes asserts, is a matter of degree: more of it makes lives better, less makes them worse. Exactly what is moral wisdom, however, and how should it be sought? Ancient Greek and medieval Christian philosophers were centrally concerned with it. By contrast, modern Western sensibility doubts the existence of a moral order in reality; and because we doubt it, and have developed no alternatives, we have grown dubious about the traditional idea of wisdom. Kekes returns to the classical Greek sources of Western philosophy to argue for the contemporary significance of moral wisdom. He develops a proposal that is eudaimonistic—secular, anthropocentric, pluralistic, individualistic, and agonistic. He understands moral wisdom as focusing on the human effort to create many different forms of good lives. Although the approach is Aristotelian, the author concentrates on formulating and defending a contemporary moral ideal. The importance of this ideal, he shows, lies in increasing our ability to cope with life's adversities by improving our judgment. In chapters on moral imagination, self-knowledge, and moral depth, Kekes calls attention to aspects of our inner life that have been neglected because of our cultural inattention to moral wisdom. He discusses these inner processes through the tragedies of Sophocles, which can inspire us with their enduring moral significance and help us to understand the importance of moral wisdom to living a good life.

Author : Alex Zakaras
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2009-10-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780199738236

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Individuality and Mass Democracy by Alex Zakaras Pdf

Democracy, unlike any other form of government, demands that citizens take responsibility for their politics. And yet, over the past fifty years, observers of American democracy have worried that Americans are failing to do so. With occasional exceptions, voter turnout and civic engagement are declining, and the average citizen's knowledge of public affairs is flimsy at best. Citizens' political posture is mostly passive: they receive political propaganda designed by marketing professionals and consume staged political spectacles that are scarcely distinguishable from other forms of "reality" entertainment. The Rockwellian ideal of democracy--participatory, deliberative, egalitarian--that still captivates our imaginations is for the most part anachronistic. How should we respond to these worries? Alex Zakaras argues that we must develop an ideal of citizenship suitable for mass society. To do so, he turns to a pair of nineteenth-century philosophers--John Stuart Mill and Ralph Waldo Emerson--who were among the first to confront the specific challenge of making mass democracy work, and whose moral and political insights are deeply relevant to America today. He focuses especially on the idea of individuality, which lies at the very center of their theories of democracy. Individuality emphasizes each citizen's personal complicity in the injustices committed by democratic officials, and calls on each of us to resist such complicity by speaking and acting against injustice. Individuality suggests that those of us who do no more than vote--who otherwise lead strictly private lives--are guilty of moral and civic negligence.

Author : Alessandro Rovati,Matthew Philipp Whelan
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 229 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2022-11-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781666763850

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Journal of Moral Theology, Volume 11, Special Issue 2 by Alessandro Rovati,Matthew Philipp Whelan Pdf

Table of Contents SIntroduction: Vocation, Friendship, and the Catholic Moral Tradition Alessandro Rovati and Matthew Philipp Whelan “A Shadowy Sort of Right”: The Ius Necessitatis and Catholic Moral Theology Matthew Philipp Whelan Nurturing Masculinities: Constructing New Narratives of Fatherhood Jacob Kohlhaas Theologies of Labor and the Limits of Capital Nicholas Norman-Krause Sensus Fideli—Whom? Retrieving Insights from Johann Adam Möhler Gina Maria Noia Virtue as Birth Control: An Examination of the Account of Rational Participation as a Component of Natural Law in Humanae Vitae and the Documents of the Papal Commission Arielle Harms Catholic Social Teaching, Liberalism, and Economic Justice Jason A. Heron and Bharat Ranganathan A Good Moral Teacher Must Be a Good Pre-Moral Teacher: On the Pedagogical Limits of US Constitutional Law Jason Menno The Healing Power of the Body of Christ: An Ecclesial and Neurological Argument for Social Connection Despite Social Distancing Christopher Krall, SJ Looking for Good Work: From Matthew Crawford to Pope Francis via Wittgenstein Mark R. Ryan

Author : Vinod Acharya,Ryan J. Johnson
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2020-04-16
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781350086319

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Nietzsche and Epicurus by Vinod Acharya,Ryan J. Johnson Pdf

This volume explores Nietzsche's decisive encounter with the ancient philosopher, Epicurus. The collected essays examine many previously unexplored and underappreciated convergences, and investigate how essential Epicurus was to Nietzsche's philosophical project through two interrelated overarching themes: nature and ethics. Uncovering the nature of Nietzsche's reception of, relation to, and movement beyond Epicurus, contributors provide insights into the relationship between suffering, health and philosophy in both thinkers; Nietzsche's stylistic analysis of Epicurus; the ethics of self-cultivation in Nietzsche's Epicureanism; practices of eating and thinking in Nietzsche and Epicurus; the temporality of Epicurean pleasure; the practice of the gay science, and Epicureanism and politics. The essays also provide creative comparisons with the Stoics, Hobbes, Mill, Guyau, Buddhism, and more. Nietzsche and Epicurus offers original and illuminating perspectives on Nietzsche's relation to the Hellenistic thinker, in whom Nietzsche saw the embodiment of the practice of philosophy as an art of existing.

Author : John Kekes
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2020-09-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780691217963

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Facing Evil by John Kekes Pdf

Arguing that the prevalence of evil presents a fundamental problem for our secular sensibility, John Kekes develops a conception of character-morality as a response. He shows that the main sources of evil are habitual, unchosen actions produced by our character defects and that we can increase our control over the evil we cause by cultivating a reflective temper.

Author : Paul Fairfield
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 278 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 1442677376

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Moral Selfhood in the Liberal Tradition by Paul Fairfield Pdf

Beginning with a wide-ranging discussion of liberal philosophers, Fairfield proposes that liberalism requires a complete reconception of moral selfhood, one that accommodates elements of the contemporary critiques without abandoning liberal individualism.

Author : Polycarp Ikuenobe
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 346 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0739114921

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Philosophical Perspectives on Communalism and Morality in African Traditions by Polycarp Ikuenobe Pdf

This book examines the idea of communalism in African cultures as a dominant philosophical theme that provides the conceptual foundation for African traditional moral thoughts, moral education, values, beliefs, conceptions of reality, practices, ways of life, and the now popular African saying, 'it takes a village to raise a child.' It defends communalism against various criticisms and argues that when properly understood and harnessed, it could provide the necessary foundation for Africa's development.

Author : John Kekes
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 1997
Category : Happiness
ISBN : 080148278X

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Against Liberalism by John Kekes Pdf

Kekes argues further that the liberal conceptions of equality, justice, and pluralism require treating good and evil people with equal respect, distributing resources without regard to what recipients deserve, and restricting choices to those that conform to liberal preconceptions. All these policies are detrimental to good lives. Kekes concludes that liberalism cannot cope with the prevalence of evil, that it is vitiated by inconsistent commitments, and that - contrary to its aim - liberalism is an obstacle to good lives.

Author : Paul Schumaker
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 377 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2010-02-22
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781405189972

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The Political Theory Reader by Paul Schumaker Pdf

Utilizing 100 key readings, The Political Theory Reader explores the rich tradition of ideas that shape the way we live and the great issues in political theory today. Allows students to see how competing ideological viewpoints think about the same political issues Provides readers with direct access to authors covered in the From Ideologies to Public Philosophies text Facilitates discussions by having readings arranged thematically throughout text Extracts of works specifically chosen to focus on topics central to issues covered in chapters.

Author : John Gray
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 143 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2013-01-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781134690091

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Hayek on Liberty by John Gray Pdf

Not available since the 1980s, this up-dated edition by the leading political philosopher, John Gray, outlines his new position on Hayek. In a substantial new chapter, Gray assesses how far the historical development of the last ten years can be deployed in a critique of Hayek's thought. His reassessment is not only a provoking study of a classical philosopher. It is also a timely contribution to the debate over the future of conservatism, as Gray argues that Hayekian liberalism - 'the most well-articulated political theory of the new right' - is flawed.

Author : Philosophy of Education Society (U.S.)
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 504 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Education
ISBN : UOM:39015040268735

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Philosophy of Education by Philosophy of Education Society (U.S.) Pdf

Author : Nigel Rapport
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 275 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2018-11-23
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781498589031

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Cosmopolitan Love and Individuality by Nigel Rapport Pdf

Cosmopolitan Love and Individuality outlines the quest for an ethic of social recognition and inclusion based on shared humanity rather than membership of fictional social, and cultural groupings such as religions and ethnicities. The book proposes love as the glue for social inclusion, where love is the emotional recognition of others.

Author : John Kekes
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0801485525

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A Case for Conservatism by John Kekes Pdf

In his recent book Against Liberalism, philosopher John Kekes argued that liberalism as a political system is doomed to failure by its internal inconsistencies. In this companion volume, he makes a compelling case for conservatism as the best alternative. His is the first systematic description and defense of the basic assumptions underlying conservative thought.Conservatism, Kekes maintains, is concerned with the political arrangements that enable members of a society to live good lives. These political arrangements are based on skepticism about ideologies, pluralism about values, traditionalism about institutions, and pessimism about human perfectibility. The political morality of conservatism requires the protection of universal conditions of all good lives, social conditions that vary with societies, and individual conditions that reflect differences in character and circumstance. Good lives, according to Kekes, depend equally on pursuing possibilities that these conditions establish and on setting limits to their violations.Attempts to make political arrangements reflect these basic tenets of conservatism are unavoidably imperfect. Kekes concludes, however, that they represent a better hope for the future than any other possibility.