Moral Misunderstandings and the Ethical Community

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Papish
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Moral Knowledge ◽  
The State ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Central Task ◽  
State Of Nature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Made In

This chapter explores Kant’s concept of an ethical community. It considers at length an analogy made in the Religion between the ethical state of nature—which is left behind once human beings enter the ethical community—and the state of nature in a juridico-civil context. This analogy ultimately leads to the conclusion that the central task of the ethical community is to help its members adjudicate disagreements about the social aims appropriate to good life conduct. It is further explained why the ethical community should be centered on a “historical” or “ecclesiastical faith,” as it is shown that such a community can promote moral knowledge, self-understanding, and interpersonal communication. How Kant’s account of the highest good relates to the ethical community is also considered, as are questions regarding how norms of pluralism and inclusivity are adopted by the ethical community.

The Measure of Greatness

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Good Life ◽  
Natural World ◽  
The Good Life ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Social ◽  
Moral Nature ◽  
Complex Trajectory ◽  
The Many ◽  
Human Excellence ◽  
Ethical Perspectives

Magnanimity is a virtue that has led many lives. Foregrounded early on by Plato as the philosophical virtue par excellence, it became one of the crown jewels in Aristotle’s account of human excellence and was accorded an equally salient place by other ancient thinkers. One of the most distinctive elements of the ancient tradition to filter into the medieval Islamic and Christian worlds, it sparked important intellectual engagements there and went on to carve deep tracks through several later philosophies that inherited from this tradition. Under changing names, under reworked forms, it continued to breathe in the thought of Descartes and Hume, Kant and Nietzsche, and their successors. Its many lives have been joined by important continuities. Yet they have also been fragmented by discontinuities—discontinuities reflecting larger shifts in ethical perspectives and competing answers to questions about the nature of the good life, the moral nature of human beings, and their relationship to the social and natural world they inhabit. They have also been punctuated by moments of controversy in which the greatness of this vision of human greatness has itself been called into doubt. This volume provides a window to the complex trajectory of a virtue whose glitter has at times been as heady as it has been divisive. By exploring the many lives it has lived, we will be in a better position to decide whether and why this is a virtue we might still want to make central to our own ethical lives.

The Role of Women in Hobbes's Economic Thought

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Joanne Boucher
Keyword(s):  
Gender Politics ◽  
Economic Thought ◽  
The State ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
State Of Nature ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
And Gender

Abstract This article examines the role of women in Hobbes's economic thought. First, I frame Hobbes's economic thought in relation to his philosophical materialism so as to underscore the extent to which Hobbes's materialism entails the insight that human beings are, by definition, productive, economic creatures. I argue that his description of the economy, even without explicit acknowledgment, necessarily positions women as crucial economic actors. I then consider the implications of this in relation to the feminist possibilities of Hobbes's gender politics. I conclude that when deliberating on this question, we face the same conundrum that is evident in all literature considering Hobbes and gender. His radical comments about women in the state of nature are undermined by his seeming indifference to the state of women in commonwealths once they are founded.

Coleridge’s Exile from the Social Contract, 1795–1829

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Beenstock
Keyword(s):  
Social Contract ◽  
The State ◽  
The Self ◽  
Breaking Point ◽  
General Will ◽  
Social Crisis ◽  
State Of Nature ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Better Than

Coleridge wrote frequently about Rousseau throughout his varied career. His early lectures and letters draw on Rousseau’s critique of luxury and frequently allude to the general will, depicting Rousseau as a Christ-like figure. Coleridge’s subsequent disappointment with Pantisocracy led him to reject Rousseau and the social contract. Comparing Rousseau to Luther in The Friend, Coleridge argues that Rousseau’s unhappiness arises from a conflict between an age of individualism and an ongoing need for community. According to Coleridge, poetry tolerates this conflict better than philosophy. In ‘Reflections on Having Left a Place of Retirement’ Coleridge suggests that social retreat offers illusory solace from war and social crisis. He critiques the state of nature, sympathy, and even religion for failing to balance the self with its environment. Thematically and formally The Rime of the Ancient Mariner explores this crisis in cohering systems. Through the mariner’s relationship to the albatross, the wedding that frames the poem, and episodes of the supernatural that disrupt the ballad form, Coleridge defines a breaking point between the individual and general wills.

1. The state of nature

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Wolff
Keyword(s):  
John Locke ◽  
Thomas Hobbes ◽  
The State ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
State Of Nature

This chapter examines whether it is possible for human beings to live in a state of nature. Sometimes it is claimed that not only have human beings always lived under a state, but that it is the only way they possibly could live. On this view, which is often associated with Aristotle, the state exists naturally in the sense of being natural to human beings. In response, some theorists argue that human beings have been able to live without the state. To elucidate the issue further, this chapter analyses the views of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It also considers the arguments of anarchists and suggests that the gap between rational anarchism and the defence of the state is vanishingly small.

Race in Global Perspective

Sociology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurora Vergara-Figueroa
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Race And Racism ◽  
Legal Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Vast Literature ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Made In

Race and racism are key analytical constructs that express fundamental issues not only of power and inequality, but also of justice, democracy, equity, and emancipation. The study of race in the social sciences is an established, dynamic, multidisciplinary, and international field. Work began at the end of the 19th century. To study race with a global perspective, it is necessary to have a transdisciplinary view to read critically the phenomena that intersect with this variable. This field includes contributions from sociology, history, philosophy, legal studies, anthropology, cultural studies, political science, epidemiology, and journalism, among others. Several declarations have been made in recent years about the alleged end of racism or the end of a race-coded era. However, even though they are not new, every time they resurge these doxas underline new regimes of truth, reconfigure racisms, and strength inequality. The vast literature produced by scholars in this field provides evidence of how race is based on narratives created to enslave, subordinate, exploit, and exclude millions of human beings across the globe.

scholarly journals Nature and Artifice in Hobbes’s International Political Thought

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-34
Author(s):  
Maximilian Jaede
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Political Thought ◽  
The State ◽  
Foreign Affairs ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
State Of Nature ◽  
Lasting Peace ◽  
Contrary Effect

This article argues that the artificiality of Hobbesian states facilitates their coexistence and eventual reconciliation. In particular, it is suggested that international relations may be characterised by an artificial equality, which has a contrary effect to the natural equality of human beings. Unlike individuals in Hobbes’s account of the state of nature, sovereigns are not compelled to wage war out of fear and distrust, but have prudential reasons to exercise self-restraint. Ultimately rulers serve as disposable figureheads who can be replaced by a foreign invader. Thus, this article highlights the implications of Hobbes’s views on sovereignty by acquisition, which allow for states to be decomposed and reassembled in order to re-establish lasting peace. It is concluded that these findings help to explain why Hobbes does not provide something akin to modern theories of international relations, as foreign affairs appear to be reducible to a matter of either prudence or political philosophy.

scholarly journals Vespas Sociais (Vespidae: Polistinae) em uma Área de Floresta Ombrófila Densa Amazônica no Estado do Maranhão, Brasil

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-187
Author(s):  
Alexandre Somavilla ◽  
Dayse Willkenia Almeida Marques ◽  
Ernesto Augusto Silva Barbosa ◽  
Juarez da Silva Pinto Junior ◽  
Marcio Luiz De Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Social Wasps ◽  
The State ◽  
Amazon Forest ◽  
Broadleaf Forest ◽  
The Social ◽  
Em 12 ◽  
High Species Richness ◽  
Northwest Amazon ◽  
Biological Reserve ◽  
Made In

As vespas sociais constituem um grupo com elevada riqueza de espécies e muito comum em áreas amazônicas. Apesar disto, nenhum trabalho foi realizado na Amazônia Maranhense e apenas 58 espécies de vespas sociais são registradas para o estado do Maranhão. O presente trabalho apresenta dados faunísticos referentes às vespas sociais da Reserva Biológica do Gurupi, caracterizada por ser uma floresta ombrófila latifoliada amazônica localizada no noroeste do Maranhão. As coletas e instalação de armadilhas (Malaise do tipo Gressitt & Gressitt, armadilha suspensa, armadilha luminosa, armadilha atrativa com isca de fruta) ocorreram entre janeiro de 2010 e maio de 2011, totalizando 63 dias amostrados. Para a Reserva Biológica do Gurupi foram obtidos 384 espécimes de vespas sociais pertencentes a Epiponini e Polistini, alocados em 12 gêneros e 38 espécies. Polybia destacou-se por apresentar o maior número de espécies (14), seguido de Agelaia (seis espécies) e Apoica (quatro espécies). Quatorze espécies são registradas pela primeira vez para o estado do Maranhão, aumentando, desta forma, para 72 espécies com registros confirmados para o estado. Social Wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in a Dense Ombrophilous Amazon Forest in the Maranhão State, Brazil Abstract. Social wasps are a high species richness group and very common in Amazonian areas. Despite this, no study have been made in the amazonian forest on the state of Maranhão and only 58 species of social wasps are registered for this state. This paper presents data about the social wasps fauna of Gurupi Biological Reserve, characterized as an ombrophylous broadleaf forest located in the northwest Amazon of Maranhão. The collect and traps installation (Malaise trap, suspended trap, light traps and fruit attractive trap) occurred between January 2010 and May 2011, with a total of 63 sample days. We collected 384 specimens in the Biological Reserve of Gurupi, were obtained social wasps belonging to Epiponini and Polistini, allocated to 12 genera and 38 species. Polybia have the largest number of species (14), followed by Agelaia (six species) and Apoica (four species). Fourteen species are first records for the state of Maranhão, increasing, thus, for 72 species with confirmed records occurrence to Maranhão.

scholarly journals A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON EDUCATIONAL THOUGHTS OF ALLAMA IQBAL AND IMAM GHAZALI IN THE OPINION OF EDUCATIONIST

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-90
Author(s):  
Abdul Wahid
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Educational System ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Ideal Teacher ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ideal Student ◽  
Made In

The study on a comparative study of educational thoughts of Allama Iqbal and Imam Ghazali) is made in order to know the contribution of Allama Iqbal Imam Ghazali in the educational system of Muslim world. Researcher use qualitative approach for this research in which interview was taken from the educationist of the Loralai city. Thoughts of both philosophers were analyzed by the respondents in which these results are found. These prominent philosophers have contributed a lot to the educational system of Muslim Umma. In the research it has been found that both legend philosophers ask that student should have to avoided bad character and they should have to adopt soul purity as well. Respect of teachers learning of Quran and Hadith, morality generosity and civility should have their actual and obligatory habits in their entire life. It has been concluded that an ideal student should adopt the useful and technical knowledge and he must have a clear and manifest objective of his knowledge in future to get desire target. The purpose of gaining Education is beneficial for society and individual as well. Apart from these, education will develop the student socially, morally and spiritually equally well. Education brings changes and efforts in human beings. The most important responsibility of the teacher is to develop spiritual insight and realize the difficulties of the students. it is the prime responsibility of the teacher to recognize the knowledge, ability and aptitude of the learners and motivate students towards lesson which is important to educational process. An ideal teacher disseminates the truth and teaches others without desire of getting reward or in the name of fame in the world. He follows the teaching of Islam truly. He should possess good moral and ethical character and act like role model for his students because the students learn from his character. Revealed knowledge i.e. Quran and Sunnah are the compulsory component of the curriculum. The subjects relating to humanities and social sciences essential for the social, material and spiritual betterment of humanity. In this context, Islamic culture and cultural languages, particularly Arabic should be the part of curriculum. Some recommendations for students’ teachers and curriculum development are that the students and teachers should recognize their responsibilities. Teacher should develop his own and student’s spiritual insight he should motivate students towards the learning process which is important for the educational process. He should simplify the difficult concepts and start learning from simple to complex and he should be sympathetic and Kind to the students. Students should put emphasis on soul purity he should not proud of themselves upon knowledge. He should learn the Quran and Hadiths. He must obey their parents, teacher and elders and should possess modesty, generosity and civility.   

Writing the Social Contradiction: Rousseau’s Literary Politics

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Beenstock
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Social Contract ◽  
The State ◽  
The Other ◽  
Social Conformity ◽  
General Will ◽  
State Of Nature ◽  
Literary Politics ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One

This chapter explores Rousseau’s account of the tension between community and individual by examining the Second Discourse and the Social Contract on the one hand, and Julie on the other. In his political theory Rousseau defines the state of nature as a mere fantasy which belongs to an optative imagined past. In leaving the state of nature, people trade basic needs for decadent desires. Rousseau introduces the general will as a practical device for managing the asociability of the private will, which is driven mainly by appetite. To safeguard the general will from its wayward members, individuals must form a social contract which transforms them into sociable beings. In Julie Rousseau explores the sacrifices that individuals make in joining the general will, as Julie is torn between personal desire on the one hand and social conformity on the other. Rousseau’s literature suggests that the two are incompatible and thus ‘judges’ his philosophy, exploring the deathly outcome of contract. Rousseau’s use of literature to critique the social contract constitutes his major legacy to British Romantic writers.

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