The Founding Act of Modern Ethical Life

The Founding Act of Modern Ethical Life PDF Author: Ido Geiger
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781503626034
Category : PHILOSOPHY
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
This book argues that an essential part of Hegel's historical-political thinking has escaped the notice of its interpreters. It is well known that Hegel conceives of history as the gradual progress of rational thought and of forms of political life. But he is usually thought to place himself at the end of this process--his philosophical end is to give a rational account of the end of this process, namely, modern ethical life. This overlooks the question of how a new shape of ethical life is founded. Hegel holds that the founding act of a new form of life is the act of an unwitting agent, and it necessarily meets with the violent incomprehension of the society it transforms. The tragedy of Antigone, the French Revolution and its aftermath (the Terror and the Napoleonic Wars), and wars generally are all examples of the tragically violent foundation of a new form of life. Moreover, Hegel does not claim that the foundation of modern ethical life is a fact of the past--it lies in the future.

The Founding Act of Modern Ethical Life

The Founding Act of Modern Ethical Life PDF Author: Ido Geiger
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781503626034
Category : PHILOSOPHY
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Get Book

Book Description
This book argues that an essential part of Hegel's historical-political thinking has escaped the notice of its interpreters. It is well known that Hegel conceives of history as the gradual progress of rational thought and of forms of political life. But he is usually thought to place himself at the end of this process--his philosophical end is to give a rational account of the end of this process, namely, modern ethical life. This overlooks the question of how a new shape of ethical life is founded. Hegel holds that the founding act of a new form of life is the act of an unwitting agent, and it necessarily meets with the violent incomprehension of the society it transforms. The tragedy of Antigone, the French Revolution and its aftermath (the Terror and the Napoleonic Wars), and wars generally are all examples of the tragically violent foundation of a new form of life. Moreover, Hegel does not claim that the foundation of modern ethical life is a fact of the past--it lies in the future.

The Founding Act of Modern Ethical Life

The Founding Act of Modern Ethical Life PDF Author: Ido Geiger
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804754248
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
It is well known that Hegel conceives of history as the gradual process of rational thought and of forms of political life. But he is usually thought to place himself at the end of this process. This book argues that an essential part of Hegel's historical-political thinking has escaped the notice of its interpreters.

Founding Acts

Founding Acts PDF Author: Serdar Tekin
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812248287
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Founding Acts argues that how constitutions are made (or their pedigree) is morally and politically as significant as what they are made of (or their content). On this view, democratic constitution-making is not only about making a democratic constitution, but also about making it democratically.

On the Ethical Life

On the Ethical Life PDF Author: Raymond Aaron Younis
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527554864
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
The question of the ethical life is arguably one of the most compelling, and urgent, questions of our time. As Peter Singer, among others, has pointed out, almost 10 million children die each year due to poverty, some of whom would not die if the amount of aid that we now offer increases significantly. As Singer has also pointed out, the exploitation of human beings and other animals is a major ethical and practical concern. There can be little reasonable doubt that pain and suffering abound, in the world today, due to many causes such as poverty, disease, environmental degradation and destruction and anthropocentrism among others, just as there can be little reasonable doubt that some of the pain and suffering is preventable. So, what does it mean to live ethically today? Does it mean taking the point of view of the universe, as Sidgwick put it, memorably, rather than a narrow anthropocentric or speciesist view? Does it mean living in accordance with duties or obligations, or in light of recognised virtues, or with the minimisation of pain and suffering primarily in mind? Does it entail a consideration of the interests of other species and a rejection of the principle of the sanctity of human life? Does it mean not eating animals when other healthy alternatives are available, especially when those animals have been treated in ways that are inconsistent with their interests, whatever they may be? Does it mean taking active steps to reduce poverty on our part on a day to day basis? Is ethics exhausted in some sense today? And if we could reach some consensus on these questions, what difference would the ethical life make? Some argue that speciesism and the exploitation of human beings and other animals might diminish; that pain and suffering, especially gratuitous pain and suffering, would decrease, or at the very least, not increase; or that we will become more aware of the limitations of things such as “the traditional ethic of the sanctity of life”, as Singer calls it. Some argue that the ethical life is closely related to a life of relationships, reflection and deliberation, all of which deepen our understanding and enrich us personally. Others argue that the ethical life is closely related to our search for a meaningful life – that the ethical life can help us to find meaning in a world in which “meaning”, defined broadly, can seem elusive, enigmatic or unsubstantial. These and related issues and questions are explored in this collection, which illustrates the relevance, vitality and dynamism of ethics today.

Christian Inversion of Jewish Nationalist Monotheism, and its Modern Romantic-Narcissist Betrayal

Christian Inversion of Jewish Nationalist Monotheism, and its Modern Romantic-Narcissist Betrayal PDF Author: Patrick Madigan
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527552659
Category : Bibles
Languages : en
Pages : 600

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Book Description
This is a history of Western culture, divided into two parts. The first concerns the aggressive championing of monotheism by Jewish people as their distinctive national culture (although they only fell into or embraced it late in their development). Jesus offended by proposing an inversion of the divine protocols and an agenda more in harmony with international political realities: the one God proposed to use the Jews to reach (and transform) the entire human race, which was the actual object of His redemptive and creative energies. With the Renaissance widening opportunities for study, travel, learning and discovery, authorities had greater difficulty justifying limitations on individuals’ freedom of expression of heterodox artistic, political, philosophical or religious positions. This book explores the difficult modern psychological adjustment of dealing with a world with diminishing centers of authority – where it often seems as if no one is in charge – while also doing justice to one’s feelings of frustration and lack of fulfillment without becoming a radical narcissist.

Hegel on Second Nature in Ethical Life

Hegel on Second Nature in Ethical Life PDF Author: Andreja Novakovic
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316813223
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
What does it take to be subjectively free in an objectively rational social order? In this book Andreja Novakovic offers a fresh interpretation of Hegel's account of ethical life by focusing on his concept of habit or 'second nature'. Novakovic addresses two central and difficult issues facing any interpretation of his Philosophy of Right: why Hegel thinks that it is is better to relate unreflectively to the laws of ethical life, and which forms of reflection, especially critical reflection, remain available within ethical life. Her interpretation draws on numerous parts of Hegel's system, particularly on his 'Anthropology' and his Phenomenology of Spirit, and also explores connections between his account and those of other philosophers. Her aim is to argue that Hegel has a compelling conception of the ordinary ethical standpoint which takes seriously both the virtues and the perils of reflection.

A History of Modern Political Thought

A History of Modern Political Thought PDF Author: Gary Browning
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192508369
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
How are we to understand past political thinkers? Is it a matter simply of reading their texts again and again? Do we have to relate past texts of political thought to the contexts in which ideas were composed and in which the aims of past thinkers were formulated? Or should past political theories be deconstructed so as to uncover not what their authors maintain, but what the texts reveal? In this book, theories of interpreting past political thinkers are examined and the interpretive methods of a range of theories are reviewed, including those of Hegel, Marx, Oakeshott, Collingwood, the Cambridge School, Foucault, Derrida and Gadamer. The application of these theories of interpretation to notable modern political theorists, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Bentham, Mill, Nietzsche and Beauvoir is then used as a way of understanding modern political thought and of assessing interpretive theories of past political thought. The result is a book which sees the history of modern political thought as more than a procession of political theories but rather as a reflection on the meaning of past political thought and its interpretation. It provides a way of reading the history of modern political thought, in which the question of interpretation matters both for understanding how we interpret the past but also for considering what it means to undertake political thinking.

Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason'

Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason' PDF Author: Jill Vance Buroker
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139458329
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
In this introductory textbook to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, Jill Vance Buroker explains the role of this first Critique in Kant's Critical project and offers a line-by-line reading of the major arguments in the text. She situates Kant's views in relation both to his predecessors and to contemporary debates, explaining his Critical philosophy as a response to the failure of rationalism and the challenge of skepticism. Paying special attention to Kant's notoriously difficult vocabulary, she explains the strengths and weaknesses of his arguments, while leaving the final assessment up to the reader. Intended to be read alongside the Critique (also published by Cambridge University Press as part of The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant in Translation), this guide is accessible to readers with little background in the history of philosophy, but should also be a valuable resource for more advanced students.

The Continuum Companion to Kant

The Continuum Companion to Kant PDF Author: Gary Banham
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 144111257X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 410

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Book Description
Including over 500 specially commissioned entries from a team of leading international scholars, this is an essential reference to Kant's thought, writings and continuing influence.

The Bloomsbury Companion to Kant

The Bloomsbury Companion to Kant PDF Author: Gary Banham
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472586808
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
Immanuel Kant is widely considered to be the most important and influential thinker of modern Europe and the late Enlightenment. His philosophy is extraordinarily wide-ranging and his influence has been pervasive throughout eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth-century thought, in particular in the work of the German Idealists, and also in both Analytic and Continental philosophy today. Now available as a new and expanded edition in paperback, this accessible companion to Kant features more than 100 specially commissioned entries, written by a team of experts in the field, covering every aspect of his philosophy. The Bloomsbury Companion to Kant presents a comprehensive overview of the historical and philosophical context in which Kant wrote and the various features, themes and topics apparent in his thought. It also includes extensive synopses of all his major published works and a survey of the key lines of reception and influence including a new addition on Schopenhauer's reception of Kant. It concludes with a thorough bibliography of English language secondary literature, now expanded for this edition to include all cutting-edge publications in the area. This is an essential and practical research tool for those working in the field of eighteenth-century German philosophy and Kant.