Wanderings: Exploring Moral Landscapes Past and PresentThrough an interdisciplinary approach, this book explores premodern, modern, and postmodern moral perspectives to identify the problems and challenges facing moral thinking in the 1990's and beyond. This book introduces and clarifies these various moral viewpoints through a multi-faceted discussion which examines morals from philosophical, social, and psychological perspectives. The primary focus of Wanderings centers on what educated and common people have thought and said about what is good and bad in premodern, modern, and postmodern spheres of thought. In this spirit, the moral views of ancient Egypt, ancient Israel, certain Greek philosophers as well as several modern philosophical and postmodern ethical attitudes are discussed. From the modern tradition, the book describes key thinkers in connection with egoism, utilitarianism, relativism, and absolutism. Issues of difference, diversity, power, empowerment, otherness, and domination are just some of the issues examined in relation to postmodern moral attitudes. Along with moral viewpoints, the book also examines how our value systems have developed and continue to develop. |
Contents
The Nature of Morality | 7 |
A Brief Historical Survey of Moral Values From Ancient Egypt to Herbert Spencer | 37 |
Foundations for Modern and Postmodern Moral Thinking | 71 |
Moral Values from the Perspective of the Social Sciences | 109 |
Psychologically Related Ethical Perspectives | 145 |
Contemporary Ethical Perspectives | 171 |
Common terms and phrases
actions altruism ancient Egypt ancient Israel Aristotle B. F. Skinner become belief Best and Kellner categorical imperative chapter Christianity concern conscience consequentialist culture customs define depends derive discussion egoist ethic of care ethical egoism ethical perspectives Ethical relativism ethical systems Foucault freedom Friedrich Nietzsche gender Habermas happiness Homans human behavior ideal important individual influence instance interests issue Jeremy Bentham Kant Kant's larger society live Lorber male Marduk Marx means moral obligation moral theory moral thinking moral values nature Nietzsche 1994 Nietzsche's norms notion one's parents particular person philosophers Plato pleasure positive postmodern premodern principles punishment question rational reason relation relativism religion religious response result reward right and wrong roles rules sense sexual equality Skinner social superego tend things thought tion traditions truth universal utilitarian Walter Kaufmann women Wyschogrod 1990