Order Ethics or Moral Surplus

What Holds a Society Together?

Häftad, Engelska, 2016

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Christoph Luetge takes on a fundamental problem of contemporary political philosophy and ethics. He questions the often implicit assumption of many contemporary political philosophers according to which a society needs its citizens to adopt some shared basic qualities, views or capabilities (here termed a moral surplus). Luetge examines the respective theories of, among others, Habermas, Rawls, Gauthier, Buchanan, and Binmore with a focus on their respective moral surpluses. He finds that each moral surplus is either not necessary for the stability of societies or cannot remain stable when faced with opposing incentives. Binmore’s idea of empathy is the only one that is, at least partly, not confronted with this dilemma. Luetge provides an alternative view termed order ethics, which weakens the necessary assumptions for modern societies and basically only relies on mutual advantages as the fundamental basis of society.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2016-08-29
Mått151 x 227 x 19 mm
Vikt390 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor270
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN9780739198698

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Filosofiska discipliner inom Filosofi och religion

Luetge's book aims to develop a system of ethics that replaces the language of sacrifice with that of investment. The problem he sets out to solve is how, given conditions of modern globalization and the basic fact that human beings will act in their own self-interest; can there be a system of ethics at all? Much of the book is devoted to a discussion of contemporary ethical theories that rely on 'surplus moral value' that demands some degree of sacrifice. These theories cannot provide a stable foundation for society under conditions of modern globalization. Because it does not rely on individuals acting against their own interests, order ethics is a better candidate for providing social order. Luetge sees his theory in the same vein as Adam Smith, and he argues that his approach can address problems posed by game theory. The idea of understanding ethical actions as investments that leave everyone better off rather than a sacrifice that leaves one vulnerable to exploitation is interesting. He concedes that people will need education to understand their adherence to ethics this way . . . Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate and research collections.