Saturday, September 20, 2008
VIRTUE, AFTER THE STORM
There's no way I can "catch up" on all I've missed out on since the hurricane. I'm still spending a LOT of time just maintaining the minimal functionality I've got with the generator here at the house (these little machines take quite a bit of monitoring and on-going fiddling to operate consistently), and trying to pick up the pieces of my shattered office at work. But in amongst all that, I'm scanning here and there in my usual haunts online and picking out the most interesting looking bits to read more deeply.
In that process, I came across this essay about the importance of the notion of "virtue" in moral philosophy. (That may seem like a trivial or almost like a tautological statement, BTW, but it's not, as this piece explains.) Although the example given by the author at the end to illustrate what may be a way forward, "back" to a virtue-based ethics, is one that makes me queasy, I do agree with the basic premise of the piece -- that the fundamental ground of liberal moral philosophy is essentially empty at its core; that something more, and more fundamental, is required than the basic liberal prescription of individual autonomy.
Looking for a solid foundation upon which to ground such a "pre-liberal" core of virtue is a hard project for a secular, scientifically-minded person such as myself. And it must be made clear that this project does not entail a rejection of the liberal moral or political program. Rather, it is a recognition that, ultimately, the liberal moral program is only instrumental in nature, albeit hugely important. The liberal moral and political insights of the Enlightenment are wonderfully and crucially important. But they aren't enough.
GB, THHotA
posted by Greg 3:56 PM
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