Two Views of Virtue: Absolute Relativism and Relative Absolutism (Contributions in Philosophy) PDF
Preview Two Views of Virtue: Absolute Relativism and Relative Absolutism (Contributions in Philosophy)
T V V WO IEWS OF IRTUE RecentTitlesin ContributionsinPhilosophy AsianandJungianViewsofEthics CarlB.Becker,editor PlatonicErrors:Plato,aKindofPoet GeneFendtandDavidRozema TheLastChoice:PreemptiveSuicideinAdvancedAge,SecondEdition C.G.Prado Self-ConstructionandtheFormationofHumanValues:Truth, Language,andDesire TeodrosKiros DiogenesofSinope:TheManintheTub LuisE.Navia SimonedeBeauvoirWritingtheSelf:PhilosophyBecomesAutobiography Jo-AnnPilardi StalkingNietzsche RaymondAngeloBelliotti TheTransientandtheAbsolute:AnInterpretationoftheHumanCondition andofHumanEndeavor MordecaiRoshwald TheAdventureofPhilosophy LuisE.Navia IntentionalistInterpretation:APhilosophicalExplanationandDefense WilliamIrwin NaturalLawEthics PhilipE.Devine Anglo-AmericanIdealism,1865–1927 W.J.Mander,editor T V V WO IEWS OF IRTUE ABSOLUTE RELATIVISM AND RELATIVE ABSOLUTISM F.F.Centore Contributions in Philosophy, Number 76 Greenwood Press Westport, Connecticut • London LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Centore,F.F.,1938– Twoviewsofvirtue : absoluterelativismandrelativeabsolutism / F.F.Centore. p. cm.—(Contributionsinphilosophy,ISSN0084–926X ; no.76) Includesbibliographicalreferences(p. )andindex. ISBN0–313–31412–8(alk.paper) 1. Ethicalabsolutism. 2. Ethicalrelativism. 3. Religiousethics. 4. Virtue. I. Title. II. Series. BJ1031.C46 2000 171—dc21 99–056461 BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable. Copyright©2000byF.F.Centore Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher. LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:99–056461 ISBN:0–313–31412–8 ISSN:0084–926X Firstpublishedin2000 GreenwoodPress,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881 AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc. www.greenwood.com PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Tomywife,HelenAngela, andourchildren,Helen,PaulMatthew,andLaura It is always simple to fall;there are an infinity of angles at whichonefalls,onlyoneatwhichonestands. —G.K.Chesterton,Orthodoxy,p.186. Inthefirstplace,philosophersarefreetolaydowntheirown setsofprinciples,butoncethisisdone,theynolongerthink astheywish—theythinkastheycan.Inthesecondplace,... anyattemptonthepartofaphilosophertoshuntheconse- quencesofhisownpositionisdoomedtofailure. —E.Gilson,TheUnityofPhilosophicalExperience, pp.301–302. Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xvii 1. AbsoluteRelativismOne:Individual-ThinkIsthe Measure 1 2. AbsoluteRelativismTwo:Group-ThinkIstheMeasure 37 3. AbsoluteRelativismThree:TheGoodGoalIstheMeasure 73 4. RelativeAbsolutism:GodIstheMeasure 105 Notes 143 Bibliography 167 Index 189 Preface Manythingsarenotwhattheyappeartobeatfirstglance.Weknowthat thereisnoleadinleadpencils,thatabbreviationisalongwordwhile longisashortword,thatmotionpicturesdonotmove,thatthepeopleof thefrozennorthinventedsunglasseswhilethoseofthesunnysouthdid not,andthatheavycreamweighslessthanlightcream.Nowwewillsee that,ofthefourtheoriesofethicsunderdiscussion,allclaimingtobehu- manisticandtwoclaimingtobemoremoderatethanthefirstandfourth theories,onlyoneoutofthefourreallyisbothhumanisticandmoderate. Anotherwayofdiscussingthistopicistocastitinthelanguageofhu- manvirtue.Questionsaboutvirtuefallwithintheareaofethicsorprac- tical knowledge, that is, knowledge aimed at action and doing. Conse- quently,thisstudyisaboutbeingpractical,notinthesenseofbuildinga better mousetrap or a taller building, but in the really fundamental senseofleadingagoodlifeinagoodsociety.Inphilosophy,makinggood decisions is called being prudent, and what constitutes prudence de- pendsuponyourmodelofmorality.1 InthisbookIamconcernedwithmoralsratherthanmanners.Iam not concerned with matters of etiquette and protocol that lie between whatismorallyrightandmorallywrong,suchastactlesslywearingan oldT-shirttoaperformanceattheRoyalOperaHouseinLondon,orwith actsthatarenormallymorallyneutral,suchasbutteringyourbreadon onesideratherthanontheother.Moreover,myemphasisisonthecen- tralideaofeachofthedifferentpositionsandnotontheminutevaria- tionsanddisagreementsthataresuretooccurwithineachparadigm. x PREFACE Onthelevelofbasicmoralmodels,wecandiscernatleastfourpossi- ble ethical prototypes:Absolute Relativism One,Two,and Three,and RelativeAbsolutism.Thefirsttheoryspellsnihilism.Theoriestwoand threeareattemptstoescapethisnihilism.Theorytwoisthefirstvaria- tion on theory one,and theory three is the second variation.However, the escape mechanisms do not work.In other words,theories two and threereducetotheoryone. AccordingtoAbsoluteRelativismOne,virtuehangsonthewillofthe individual,andwouldincludeanyonewhosubstituteshiswillforanin- tellectincapableofknowingreality.InthecaseofImmanuelKant,for instance,hisclaimtohavinganabsolutelyuniversalmoralprincipleisa charade.Kantlockshimselfinaroom,placesthekeyinhispocket,and thenclaimstobeboundbyamoralimperative.Infact,allheisreally boundbyishisownwill,somethinghecanchangeatanytime. Allfourtheoriesagreethatitisimpossibletolivewithoutmeaningin life.Thedebateisnotovertheexistenceofmeaning,butthesourceofthe meaning.Wheredoesourpurposeinlifecomefrom?Theissueisnotthe lackofsomethingclaimedtobetrueandgood,butitscontent.Inthefirst theorythesolitarywillisthemeasureofwhatisgood.Yousetyourown goalsandgenerateyourownmoralcriteria,inventingyourowndefini- tions of everything, whether it is a fair wage, justifiable homicide, or marriage. You need not, unless you feel like it, take into account the viewsofyourgovernmentorreligion.Thisisoftenreferredtoasthe“lib- eral”positioninmoralmattersbecauseitallowsyoutodoanythingyou feel like doing. Ultimately, the first paradigm must maintain that all moralchoicesareonapar;anylifestyleisasgoodasanyother.Theonly importantissueiswhetheritworksforyou. BeingaMotherTeresaofCalcuttaisonaparwithbeingaSimonede BeauvoirofParisoraDemiMooreofHollywood.Beingthecomicbook artistAndyWarholisonaparwithbeingaMahatmaGandhi.Theonly realimmoralityisthinkingthatsomethingisimmoralindependentlyof yourwill.Ifyourdeedsareillegal,youruntheriskofbeingpunished, butthatisachanceyoumayhavetotakeinordertobeyourownperson. Undercertaincircumstances,beingadissentercanbedangerous.Con- sequently,for those committed to Absolute Relativism One,it pays to liveinacountrywhereaslittleaspossibleisillegal. Whetherornotyoucontributemoneytothepoor,blowupagovern- mentbuilding,orforceyourselfsexuallyonyourneighborisyourown business.Ifyouareamemberofajuryyoucanvoteanywayyoufeellike, ignoring both the evidence and the law.Not harming others is itself a rule that you may or may not freely follow.You can accept the Golden Rulebecauseyouwillit,oryoucanrejectit.Moreover,ifyoudoacceptit, youcandosocafeteriastyle.Youcanbeselectivewithrespecttothose whomyouchoosetoharmorhelp.
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