The Morals of Modernity

by Charles Larmore

• ISBN13: 9780521497176
• ISBN10: 0521497175
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780511888311
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-03-29
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• More Book Details

Summary

The essays collected in this volume all explore the problem of the relation between moral philosophy and modernity. The book argues against recent attempts to return to the virtue-centered perspective of ancient Greek ethics. As well as exploring the differences between ancient and modern ethics, the author treats such topics as the roles of reason and history in our moral understanding, the inadequacy of philosophical naturalism, and the foundations of modern liberalism. These essays will be of interest both to professional scholars and to general readers concerned with ethics and politics.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(18)
I Modern Ethics
The Right and the Good	19	(22)
Ancient and Modern Ethics	19	(7)
Kant and the Priority of the Right	26	(2)
Pluralism and Reasonable Disagreement	28	(2)
The Role of Conscience	30	(4)
Modern Ethics in Question	34	(7)
Beyond Religion and Enlightenment	41	(24)
The Modern World and Religion	41	(3)
The Enlightenment Project	44	(5)
The Crisis of the Enlightenment	49	(4)
Two Illusory Solutions	53	(2)
Universality and Tradition	55	(4)
Reason and History	59	(6)
The Secret Philosophy of Leo Strauss	65	(14)
A Weimar Intellectual	65	(6)
A Flawed History of Modern Ethics	71	(3)
An Elusive Teaching	74	(5)
II Beyond Naturalism
Nietzsche's Legacy	79	(10)
Moral Knowledge	89	(32)
Truth and Moral Judgment	90	(3)
The Indispensability of Normative Truths	93	(9)
The Unity of Theoretical and Practical Reason	102	(6)
The Perceptual Model of Moral Knowledge	108	(3)
Cognitivist Naturalism	111	(3)
Morality and Reflection	114	(7)
III Liberalism and Modernity
Political Liberalism	121	(31)
The Idea of Neutrality	121	(6)
The Romantic Critique of Individualism	127	(7)
Rational Dialogue and Equal Respect	134	(7)
Liberal Community	141	(3)
The Goals of Political Liberalism	144	(8)
Pluralism and Reasonable Disagreement	152	(23)
Political Liberalism	152	(3)
The Nature of Pluralism	155	(3)
Pluralism and Value Conflict	158	(5)
The Modern Character of Pluralism	163	(4)
The Nature of Reasonable Disagreement	167	(4)
Reasonable Disagreement and Skepticism	171	(4)
Carl Schmitt's Critique of Liberal Democracy	175	(14)
Modernity and Political Legitimacy	177	(4)
The Coherence of Liberal Democracy	181	(5)
Discussion and Stability	186	(3)
Modernity and the Disunity of Reason	189	(16)
The Foundations of Modern Democracy: Reflections on Jurgen Habermas	205	(18)
Argument and Context	206	(4)
Politics and Modernity	210	(7)
Liberalism and Democracy	217	(6)
Index	223