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. |
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Page 3
... later, may not have to face (at least, not often) Hamlet's dilemma, but we have prob- lems enough. Suppose you are a school nurse who hears that the father of a student is smoking marijuana on the weekends. You believe it is your duty ...
... later, may not have to face (at least, not often) Hamlet's dilemma, but we have prob- lems enough. Suppose you are a school nurse who hears that the father of a student is smoking marijuana on the weekends. You believe it is your duty ...
Page 23
... later Greek poets probed the moral dimensions of this act , few kin - based societies would absolutely condemn the decision . Prohibitions on theft and killing applied to friends and compatriots within a society and not , necessarily ...
... later Greek poets probed the moral dimensions of this act , few kin - based societies would absolutely condemn the decision . Prohibitions on theft and killing applied to friends and compatriots within a society and not , necessarily ...
Page 26
... later on, Christians) were misanthropists. Jewish suspicion of aliens extended even to the Samaritans, who deviated not much more from the standard Judaism of the day than one sect of mod- ern Protestantism does from another. This is ...
... later on, Christians) were misanthropists. Jewish suspicion of aliens extended even to the Samaritans, who deviated not much more from the standard Judaism of the day than one sect of mod- ern Protestantism does from another. This is ...
Page 39
... later facile pessimism, Johnson offered the mystery of a universe that was filled with joy as well as suffering. Instead of canting upon the theme of social injustice, Johnson advised patience and fortitude. He was no Stoic, because the ...
... later facile pessimism, Johnson offered the mystery of a universe that was filled with joy as well as suffering. Instead of canting upon the theme of social injustice, Johnson advised patience and fortitude. He was no Stoic, because the ...
Page 40
... later life by the great , he was content to pass much of his time in the com- pany of old and humble friends , whom he never failed to assist when they fell on hard times . He enjoyed and accepted the blessings which his fame had ...
... later life by the great , he was content to pass much of his time in the com- pany of old and humble friends , whom he never failed to assist when they fell on hard times . He enjoyed and accepted the blessings which his fame had ...
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