Paradox of Morality

Vladimir Jankélévitch (1903–1985) was a French philosopher and musicologist. His works in English translation include Forgiveness, Music and the Ineffable, and The Bad Conscience. Andrew Kelley is professor of philosophy at Bradley University and a translator of the works of Jankélévitch and other French philosophers.

“In this marvelous text, Jankélévitch persuasively argues that love is at the center of morality, and morality is at the heart of life. Readers new to Jankélévitch will be riveted by his analysis of the paradoxical nature of love and morality, as well as the multiple connections between his thought and that of other twentieth-century philosophers such as Henri Bergson, the existentialists, Emmanuel Levinas, and Jacques Derrida. At the same time, readers familiar with his other works will find their understanding of the subtlety and depth of his moral thinking enriched and extended.”—Marguerite La Caze, University of Queensland“In his final philosophical testament, Jankélévitch explores how the pursuit of morality must ceaselessly navigate a fundamental conflict between the unconditional demand of love and an attachment to the self—between ‘love’ and ‘being’—without any definitive resolution. But this paradox does not inhibit the aspiration towards a moral life, nor lead to resignation or cynicism; on the contrary, it is as impossible to renounce care for others as it is to renounce one’s own egotism. Deftly translated by Andrew Kelley, this is a conceptually rich and sensitively written account of what it means to live a moral life in action.”—Nicolas de Warren, Pennsylvania State University“At a time when academic moral philosophy has become a utilitarian bookkeeping exercise alien to human interest, Andrew Kelley’s translation of this final summation of the thought of Vladimir Jankélévitch is a reminder of the essential place of yearning, disappointment, ambiguity, hope, and regret in the development of moral consciousness. The Paradox of Morality is the moving envoi of the most important moral philosopher after Kant.”—Adrian Nathan West, author of My Father’s Diet