Freedom and Community: The Ethics of InterdependenceIn this book, Loewy grounds communitarian ethics in contemporary terms, particularly as a response to the intractable social problems in the United States and the shocking collapse of the Soviet Union and Soviet-style communism. He goes far beyond his work in ethics to date, moving from a dialectical relationship between community and autonomy to a notion in which the ends and means of both community and individual interact to produce a homeostatic balance. Rather than the relationship being purely one of competition between the claims of beneficence and the claims of individuality, there is a necessary interrelation in which a homeostatic balance occurs, assuring communal and individual survival. Loewy illustrates some of the contemporary consequences of the philosophy he develops here, using medicine, education, and affirmative action as models. He expands the notion of community and shows that individual communities are related to each other, as are individuals and small communities. |
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affirmative action allow ameliorate animals argue associations autonomy basic needs become beneficent obligations biological capacity to suffer causal cause choices claim cohesion compassion competition concept context cultures Darwin defined depends develop disadvantaged economic entities ethics evolve existence experience exploited fact fair opportunity range feel flourish forces framework freedom Gemeinschaft Gesellschaft groups Hans Jonas harm homeostasis homeostatic homeostatic balance human Immanuel Kant individual inevitably interests John Dewey justice Kant Kantian lack least libertarian likewise lives logical Mbuti merely minimal minimalist moral standing moral strangers munity naturalistic fallacy nature necessarily nity notion nurture one's particular persons possible poverty primary worth primitive sense problems pursue reason relationship schaft second order necessities self-legislate sense of pity share social contract social Darwinism society solidarity species structure survival value talents things tion trilateral commission ultimately United values and goals Verein vidual weak world community