Modernity has challenged the ancient ideal of a universal quest for wisdom, and today's world of conflicting cultures and values has raised further doubts regarding the possibility of objective ethical standards. Robert Kane refocuses the debate on the philosophical quest for wisdom, and argues that ethical principles about right action and the good life can be seen to emerge from that very quest itself. This book contends that the search for wisdom involves a persistent striving to overcome narrowness of vision that comes from the inevitable limitations of finite points of view. When applied to questions of value and the good life, this striving has ethical implications about the way we should treat ourselves and others. This study argues for the merits of this central thesis against alternative theories in contemporary normative ethics, and discusses its practical applications for social ethics, political philosophy, law and moral education.
Modernity has challenged the ancient ideal of a universal quest for wisdom, and today's world of conflicting cultures and values has raised further doubts regarding the possibility of objective ethical standards. Robert Kane refocuses the debate on the philosophical quest for wisdom, and argues that ethical principles about right action and the good life can be seen to emerge from that very quest itself. This book contends that the search for wisdom involves a persistent striving to overcome narrowness of vision that comes from the inevitable limitations of finite points of view. When applied to questions of value and the good life, this striving has ethical implications about the way we should treat ourselves and others. This study argues for the merits of this central thesis against alternative theories in contemporary normative ethics, and discusses its practical applications for social ethics, political philosophy, law and moral education.
Über den Autor
Robert Kane is University Distinguished Teaching Professor of Philosophy Emeritus and Professor of Law at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of seven books including Through the Moral Maze (1994), The Significance of Free Will (1996) and A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will (2005), as well as over sixty articles.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1. Introduction: pluralism and uncertainty; 2. Openness; 3. The retreat; 4. The moral sphere; 5. Fact and value; 6. Value experiments; 7. Virtues, excellences and forms of life; 8. The fourth dimension; 9. Aspiration; 10. Wisdom; 11. Objective worth; 12. The Bach crystals; 13. Human flourishing; 14. The Faust legend and the mosaic; 15. The good and the right (I): intuitionism and Kantianism; 16. The good and the right (II): utilitarianism and consequentialism; 17. The good and the right (III): contractualism; 18. Politics, public morality and law: justice, care and virtue; Bibliography; Index.
