Elements of EthicsThis work renews the basic questions and principles of philosophical ethics and provides a thorough account of how being oneself presupposes freedom and responsibility. Elements of Ethics focuses on the descriptive and conceptual analysis of the experiences through which human lives become aware of themselves and shows how we are provoked to respond appropriately to the various dimensions and phenomena of the universe. Operating on the provocative thesis that "if the ethical is real, it cannot be proved, because it is either nothing at all or an irreducible origin," this book pursues the question that defines ethics: "How should I live?" After setting out a preliminary definition of terms, Elements of Ethics gives insight into the relation of human individuals and the world by showing that the traditional separation between "is" and "ought" overlooks their profound coincidence, and by clarifying the determining, though often overlooked, role of affectivity and katharsis in all ethical experiences. |
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Contents
Introduction I | 1 |
From Doing to Living | 22 |
Affections | 56 |
Desire | 73 |
Correspondence | 98 |
The Analogy of Should | 121 |
Unity and Universality | 176 |
Freedom | 186 |
Conscience | 207 |
Adventures | 233 |
Religion | 252 |
Notes | 263 |
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Common terms and phrases
accept aesthetic affective already animals answer appropriate Aristotle aspects attempt attitude authentic aware basic become beginning behavior belong Chapter concrete conscience constellation convictions correspondence criterion critical culture death demands Descartes Desideratum Desire developed difficult dimension discover elements Emmanuel Levinas entire erotic ethics ethos ethoses eudaimonia evaluation evil example existence experience factual feel find finite first fit freedom fulfill fulfillment fundamental happiness hedonic Hegel hermeneutical human ideal implies inculturation individual infinite influence insofar interpretations involved justice justified kalokagathia Kant katharsis kind Levinas live meaning mode modern moral motivated nature Nicomachean Ethics normative one’s orientation originary other’s ousia pain particular perceived perception person perspective Phaedo phenomena phenomenology Phenomenology of Spirit philosophy physis Plato pleasure possible practice presupposes purification question radical reality realization recognize refined reflection response rule scholasticism scientific sense situation someone specific spirit task theory things tion tradition transformation truth universe utilitarian voice