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 2
... thing? In the absence of a legitimate authority, his vengeance upon Claudius would be only rough justice, especially since it has been commanded by the ghost of his father, the last real king of Denmark. In fact, one of Hamlet's primary ...
... thing? In the absence of a legitimate authority, his vengeance upon Claudius would be only rough justice, especially since it has been commanded by the ghost of his father, the last real king of Denmark. In fact, one of Hamlet's primary ...
Page 7
... 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 idealism: these, in fact, are the hallmarks of the modern (that is, since the ...
... 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 idealism: these, in fact, are the hallmarks of the modern (that is, since the ...
Page 20
... thing for nephew Fred ; I could even subscribe to all the local charities and leave the rest of my fortune to a foundling hospital . But mankind ? No , sir , my entire fortune would do nothing for all mankind ; it would be like pouring ...
... thing for nephew Fred ; I could even subscribe to all the local charities and leave the rest of my fortune to a foundling hospital . But mankind ? No , sir , my entire fortune would do nothing for all mankind ; it would be like pouring ...
Page 21
... things, villagers may think they can rob or kill the stranger with impunity. However, contempt for strangers is not confined to village cultures. Before the twentieth century, the concept of a universal obligation that comprehended ...
... things, villagers may think they can rob or kill the stranger with impunity. However, contempt for strangers is not confined to village cultures. Before the twentieth century, the concept of a universal obligation that comprehended ...
Page 23
... thing , but it's important : to punish terribly the one who has done me wrong . ” This attitude was prevalent enough that one of the speakers in the Republic interprets the phrase “ giving every man his due " as “ [ owing ] good to ...
... thing , but it's important : to punish terribly the one who has done me wrong . ” This attitude was prevalent enough that one of the speakers in the Republic interprets the phrase “ giving every man his due " as “ [ owing ] good to ...
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