The Morality of Everyday Life: Rediscovering an Ancient Alternative to the Liberal TraditionFleming offers an alternative to enlightened liberalism, where moral and political problems are looked at from an objective point of view and a decision made from a distant perspective that is both rational and universally applied to all comparable cases. He instead places importance on the particular, the local, and moral complexity, advocating a return to premodern traditions for a solution to ethical predicaments. In his view, liberalism and postmodernism ignore the fact that human beings by their very nature refuse to live in a world of abstractions where the attachments of friends, neighbors, family, and country make no difference. Fleming believes that a modern type of "casuistry" should be applied to moral conflicts, using examples from history, literature, and religion to explain this moral ecology that refuses to divorce organisms from their interactions with each other and with their environment. |
From inside the book
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Page 4
... and all that matters are individuals and their rights. Religion, in particular, can Introduction 5 only be exercised as a personal choice , 02 Fleming intr, p 1-17 1/23/04 12:28 PM Page 4 Allan S Johnson Al's G4 HD:Pxt jobs disk #
... and all that matters are individuals and their rights. Religion, in particular, can Introduction 5 only be exercised as a personal choice , 02 Fleming intr, p 1-17 1/23/04 12:28 PM Page 4 Allan S Johnson Al's G4 HD:Pxt jobs disk #
Page 7
... individual who considers the matter objectively and keeps his attention not on things as they are and have been, but on how they ought to be in an ideal world. Universality, ration- ality, individualism, objectivity, and abstract ...
... individual who considers the matter objectively and keeps his attention not on things as they are and have been, but on how they ought to be in an ideal world. Universality, ration- ality, individualism, objectivity, and abstract ...
Page 12
... individuals, and even between rich and poor nations, condemn the favoritism we show our friends and countrymen as so much selfishness and greed. To each of these absurd conclusions, the best response is often not to deny what may be ...
... individuals, and even between rich and poor nations, condemn the favoritism we show our friends and countrymen as so much selfishness and greed. To each of these absurd conclusions, the best response is often not to deny what may be ...
Page 14
... individual merit as the starting point , some libertarian philosophers conclude that fairness or justice is based on the principle of cuique suum , of letting each man get his just deserts , no matter what the consequences to family ...
... individual merit as the starting point , some libertarian philosophers conclude that fairness or justice is based on the principle of cuique suum , of letting each man get his just deserts , no matter what the consequences to family ...
Page 19
... individuals confer benefits upon the whole of society , and the world , as a result , tends to “ go round a deal faster ... individual which constitutes the best possible appli- cation of his capacity to the general benefit . ” 1 In the ...
... individuals confer benefits upon the whole of society , and the world , as a result , tends to “ go round a deal faster ... individual which constitutes the best possible appli- cation of his capacity to the general benefit . ” 1 In the ...
Contents
1 | |
18 | |
42 | |
Too Much Reality | 69 |
Growing Up Unabsurd | 95 |
Problems of Perspective | 135 |
The Myth of Individualism | 167 |
Goodbye Old Rights of Man | 194 |
Bibliography | 235 |
Index | 251 |
Other editions - View all
The Morality of Everyday Life: Rediscovering an Ancient Alternative to the ... Thomas Fleming No preview available - 2004 |
The Morality of Everyday Life: Rediscovering an Ancient Alternative to the ... Thomas Fleming No preview available - 2004 |
Common terms and phrases
abstract Alasdair MacIntyre American ancient Antigone argued argument Aristotle Athenian Carol Gilligan casuistry Catholic century charity child Christian Church citizens civil claims common concept Creon cultural depends Descartes divine duty ethical European evil example fact father feel French friends friendship G. K. Chesterton global Goodbye Greek Growing Up Unabsurd happiness hero human rights ideal identity impartial Jefferson Jews John Johnson justice justify killed Kohlberg Kosovo language Lawrence Kohlberg liberal liberty live loyalty ment modern moral development Morality of Everyday mother Myth of Individualism nation-state nationalist natural neighbor Neoptolemus object obligation Old Rights one’s parents patriotism person Philoctetes philosophers Plato Plutarch political poor principle Problems of Perspective question reality reason regard religion religious responsibility Roman rules Samuel Johnson sense Serbs social society Stoic story strangers theory things Thomas tion tradition University Press virtue Voltaire women