Andrews Reath
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199288830
- eISBN:
- 9780191603648
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199288836.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This book contains chapters on various features of Kant's moral psychology and moral theory, with particular emphasis on a conception of rational agency autonomy. The opening chapters explore ...
More
This book contains chapters on various features of Kant's moral psychology and moral theory, with particular emphasis on a conception of rational agency autonomy. The opening chapters explore different elements of Kant's views about motivation, including an account of respect for morality as the distinctive moral motive and a view of the principle of happiness as a representation of the shared structure of non-moral choice. These chapters stress the unity of Kant's moral psychology by arguing that moral and non-moral considerations motivate in essentially the same way. Several of the chapters develop an original approach to Kant's conception of autonomy that emphasizes the political metaphors found throughout Kant's writings on ethics. They argue that autonomy is best interpreted not as a psychological capacity, but as a kind of sovereignty: in claiming that moral agents have autonomy, Kant regards them as a kind of sovereign legislator with the power to give moral law through their willing. The final chapters explore some of the implications of this conception of autonomy elsewhere in Kant's moral thought, arguing that his Formula of Universal Law uses this conception of autonomy to generate substantive moral principles and exploring the connection between Kantian self-legislation and duties to oneself.Less
This book contains chapters on various features of Kant's moral psychology and moral theory, with particular emphasis on a conception of rational agency autonomy. The opening chapters explore different elements of Kant's views about motivation, including an account of respect for morality as the distinctive moral motive and a view of the principle of happiness as a representation of the shared structure of non-moral choice. These chapters stress the unity of Kant's moral psychology by arguing that moral and non-moral considerations motivate in essentially the same way. Several of the chapters develop an original approach to Kant's conception of autonomy that emphasizes the political metaphors found throughout Kant's writings on ethics. They argue that autonomy is best interpreted not as a psychological capacity, but as a kind of sovereignty: in claiming that moral agents have autonomy, Kant regards them as a kind of sovereign legislator with the power to give moral law through their willing. The final chapters explore some of the implications of this conception of autonomy elsewhere in Kant's moral thought, arguing that his Formula of Universal Law uses this conception of autonomy to generate substantive moral principles and exploring the connection between Kantian self-legislation and duties to oneself.
Kristen Renwick Monroe
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151373
- eISBN:
- 9781400840366
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151373.003.0009
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Psychology and Interaction
This chapter contemplates the broader themes and implications of this work and constructs a new theory of moral choice. Most existing theories designed to guide moral behavior and examine the ethical ...
More
This chapter contemplates the broader themes and implications of this work and constructs a new theory of moral choice. Most existing theories designed to guide moral behavior and examine the ethical acts of others fail to adequately capture what appeared in this volume's analysis to be the critical importance of psychological factors. The chapter thus proposes a new, empirically based identity theory of moral choice. It sketches the outlines of this theory and how it was derived from empirical analysis. The chapter then notes important literature in a wide range of fields, from linguistics and cognitive science to primate behavior and neuroscience, which offers scientific underpinnings for the theory. Finally, the chapter suggests how this theory can usefully help us understand other forms of ethical political behavior.Less
This chapter contemplates the broader themes and implications of this work and constructs a new theory of moral choice. Most existing theories designed to guide moral behavior and examine the ethical acts of others fail to adequately capture what appeared in this volume's analysis to be the critical importance of psychological factors. The chapter thus proposes a new, empirically based identity theory of moral choice. It sketches the outlines of this theory and how it was derived from empirical analysis. The chapter then notes important literature in a wide range of fields, from linguistics and cognitive science to primate behavior and neuroscience, which offers scientific underpinnings for the theory. Finally, the chapter suggests how this theory can usefully help us understand other forms of ethical political behavior.
Kristen Renwick Monroe
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151373
- eISBN:
- 9781400840366
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151373.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Psychology and Interaction
This concluding chapter presents some thoughts about the implications of this study for the overall understanding of ethics, moral psychology, and other works on prejudice and genocide. It reveals ...
More
This concluding chapter presents some thoughts about the implications of this study for the overall understanding of ethics, moral psychology, and other works on prejudice and genocide. It reveals how events in the author's personal life influenced her work and how she was, in turn, changed by it, leading her to view the world differently, and making her aware of limitations in the traditional approaches to the discipline as well as heightening her commitment to interdisciplinary work and methodological pluralism in the search for fresher approaches to studying the normative bases of politics. In returning to these themes, the chapter reviews what has been learned about altruism, moral choice, and the psychology surrounding the ethics of difference.Less
This concluding chapter presents some thoughts about the implications of this study for the overall understanding of ethics, moral psychology, and other works on prejudice and genocide. It reveals how events in the author's personal life influenced her work and how she was, in turn, changed by it, leading her to view the world differently, and making her aware of limitations in the traditional approaches to the discipline as well as heightening her commitment to interdisciplinary work and methodological pluralism in the search for fresher approaches to studying the normative bases of politics. In returning to these themes, the chapter reviews what has been learned about altruism, moral choice, and the psychology surrounding the ethics of difference.
Robert Kane
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195126563
- eISBN:
- 9780199868506
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195126564.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
An attempt is made in this chapter and the following two to give an incompatibilist or indeterminist account of free will that is consistent with current scientific knowledge without assuming any ...
More
An attempt is made in this chapter and the following two to give an incompatibilist or indeterminist account of free will that is consistent with current scientific knowledge without assuming any obscure or mysterious notions of agency or causation. A number of topics are discussed in the process of constructing this theory: self‐forming actions (SFAs) or willings (SFWs), moral and prudential choice, divided will, indeterminate efforts, chaos theory, non‐equilibrium thermodynamics, quantum physics, neural networks, weakness of will, mind and body, plural voluntary control, choosing for reasons, consciousness and purpose, self‐networks, chance, folk psychology and the brain, value experiments, and others.Less
An attempt is made in this chapter and the following two to give an incompatibilist or indeterminist account of free will that is consistent with current scientific knowledge without assuming any obscure or mysterious notions of agency or causation. A number of topics are discussed in the process of constructing this theory: self‐forming actions (SFAs) or willings (SFWs), moral and prudential choice, divided will, indeterminate efforts, chaos theory, non‐equilibrium thermodynamics, quantum physics, neural networks, weakness of will, mind and body, plural voluntary control, choosing for reasons, consciousness and purpose, self‐networks, chance, folk psychology and the brain, value experiments, and others.
Kristen Renwick Monroe
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151373
- eISBN:
- 9781400840366
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151373.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Psychology and Interaction
What causes genocide? Why do some stand by, doing nothing, while others risk their lives to help the persecuted? This book analyzes riveting interviews with bystanders, Nazi supporters, and rescuers ...
More
What causes genocide? Why do some stand by, doing nothing, while others risk their lives to help the persecuted? This book analyzes riveting interviews with bystanders, Nazi supporters, and rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust to lay bare critical psychological forces operating during genocide. The book's examination of these moving—and disturbing—interviews underscores the significance of identity for moral choice. The book finds that self-image and identity—especially the sense of self in relation to others—determine and delineate our choice options, not just morally but cognitively. It introduces the concept of moral salience to explain how we establish a critical psychological relationship with others, classifying individuals in need as “people just like us” or reducing them to strangers perceived as different, threatening, or even beyond the boundaries of our concern. The book explicates the psychological dehumanization that is a prerequisite for genocide and uses knowledge of human behavior during the Holocaust to develop a broader theory of moral choice, one applicable to other forms of ethnic, religious, racial, and sectarian prejudice, aggression, and violence. It suggests that identity is more fundamental than reasoning in our treatment of others.Less
What causes genocide? Why do some stand by, doing nothing, while others risk their lives to help the persecuted? This book analyzes riveting interviews with bystanders, Nazi supporters, and rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust to lay bare critical psychological forces operating during genocide. The book's examination of these moving—and disturbing—interviews underscores the significance of identity for moral choice. The book finds that self-image and identity—especially the sense of self in relation to others—determine and delineate our choice options, not just morally but cognitively. It introduces the concept of moral salience to explain how we establish a critical psychological relationship with others, classifying individuals in need as “people just like us” or reducing them to strangers perceived as different, threatening, or even beyond the boundaries of our concern. The book explicates the psychological dehumanization that is a prerequisite for genocide and uses knowledge of human behavior during the Holocaust to develop a broader theory of moral choice, one applicable to other forms of ethnic, religious, racial, and sectarian prejudice, aggression, and violence. It suggests that identity is more fundamental than reasoning in our treatment of others.
Kristen Renwick Monroe
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151373
- eISBN:
- 9781400840366
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151373.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Psychology and Interaction
This chapter reflects on the curious puzzle of how identity can influence moral choice, and why. In so doing the chapter discusses the background context within which this volume operates, as it ...
More
This chapter reflects on the curious puzzle of how identity can influence moral choice, and why. In so doing the chapter discusses the background context within which this volume operates, as it traces an initial intellectual objective of explaining the psychology of genocide to an exploration of how the themes found in the Holocaust resonate with other periods of genocide, other instances of ethnic cleansing, other acts of prejudice, discrimination and group hatred, and animosity, just as they resonate with other instances of compassion, heroic altruism, and moral courage. The psychological forces at work during the Holocaust, this chapter argues, partake of the same political psychology underlying other political acts driven by identity. From here, the chapter develops a new theory of moral choice to tackle these issues and gives a brief overview of the succeeding chapters.Less
This chapter reflects on the curious puzzle of how identity can influence moral choice, and why. In so doing the chapter discusses the background context within which this volume operates, as it traces an initial intellectual objective of explaining the psychology of genocide to an exploration of how the themes found in the Holocaust resonate with other periods of genocide, other instances of ethnic cleansing, other acts of prejudice, discrimination and group hatred, and animosity, just as they resonate with other instances of compassion, heroic altruism, and moral courage. The psychological forces at work during the Holocaust, this chapter argues, partake of the same political psychology underlying other political acts driven by identity. From here, the chapter develops a new theory of moral choice to tackle these issues and gives a brief overview of the succeeding chapters.
Joel J. Kupperman
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195308198
- eISBN:
- 9780199867325
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195308198.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter connects the two poles of conscious moral choice: the personal felt quality and conceptual implications. This continues the work of the previous chapters and further undermines the ...
More
This chapter connects the two poles of conscious moral choice: the personal felt quality and conceptual implications. This continues the work of the previous chapters and further undermines the seductive image of ethics as centering on lone individuals making decisions for decontextualized cases that can be considered in isolation from those they would make in any other cases. It is shown that any morality, no matter how idiosyncratic, is implicitly a social morality; and that this has further implications. It requires that morality should apply irrespective of persons. It also requires a central role for general rules.Less
This chapter connects the two poles of conscious moral choice: the personal felt quality and conceptual implications. This continues the work of the previous chapters and further undermines the seductive image of ethics as centering on lone individuals making decisions for decontextualized cases that can be considered in isolation from those they would make in any other cases. It is shown that any morality, no matter how idiosyncratic, is implicitly a social morality; and that this has further implications. It requires that morality should apply irrespective of persons. It also requires a central role for general rules.
T. N. Madan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198069409
- eISBN:
- 9780199080038
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198069409.003.0018
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sociology of Religion
This chapter continues the discussion on the fragility of moral choices. A heightened moral awareness is the ideal, but the road to it is seen by ordinary people to lie in the consistent effort of ...
More
This chapter continues the discussion on the fragility of moral choices. A heightened moral awareness is the ideal, but the road to it is seen by ordinary people to lie in the consistent effort of self-improvement through attention to the proper (culturally defined) conduct of life. This is the process of maturation discussed in Chapter 1 in the context of the notion of the good life as Kashmiri Brahmans entertain it. While the pitfalls of making moral choices in a spirit of or hubris are recognized in Hindu culture, the importance of bringing what one desires under the control of what one ought to prefer is also stressed. In fact, the two perspectives are seen as mutually reinforcing rather than as contradictory. The moral effort involved is great, but failing to make the endeavour causes suffering. The theme of suffering, and of preparation for death, which are of central importance in Indian (Buddhist, Jaina, Hindu) worldviews, are introduced.Less
This chapter continues the discussion on the fragility of moral choices. A heightened moral awareness is the ideal, but the road to it is seen by ordinary people to lie in the consistent effort of self-improvement through attention to the proper (culturally defined) conduct of life. This is the process of maturation discussed in Chapter 1 in the context of the notion of the good life as Kashmiri Brahmans entertain it. While the pitfalls of making moral choices in a spirit of or hubris are recognized in Hindu culture, the importance of bringing what one desires under the control of what one ought to prefer is also stressed. In fact, the two perspectives are seen as mutually reinforcing rather than as contradictory. The moral effort involved is great, but failing to make the endeavour causes suffering. The theme of suffering, and of preparation for death, which are of central importance in Indian (Buddhist, Jaina, Hindu) worldviews, are introduced.
Michael Stocker
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198240556
- eISBN:
- 9780191598463
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198240554.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Addresses the central claim of maximization that we must do what is best. It is argued that maximization is neither morally nor rationally required. Maximization cannot adequately deal with the ...
More
Addresses the central claim of maximization that we must do what is best. It is argued that maximization is neither morally nor rationally required. Maximization cannot adequately deal with the ethical concepts of superogation, self‐regard, amusement, and friendship; furthermore, the central claims of moral and rational choice do not involve maximization. Moral and rational appraisal of a choice of action requires evaluating its contribution to a whole (a life or a project), where the whole need not be the best available, only good enough.Less
Addresses the central claim of maximization that we must do what is best. It is argued that maximization is neither morally nor rationally required. Maximization cannot adequately deal with the ethical concepts of superogation, self‐regard, amusement, and friendship; furthermore, the central claims of moral and rational choice do not involve maximization. Moral and rational appraisal of a choice of action requires evaluating its contribution to a whole (a life or a project), where the whole need not be the best available, only good enough.
George Pattison
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199698677
- eISBN:
- 9780191745553
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199698677.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Theology
This chapter offers what is essentially a kind of thought-experiment in which we might begin to see how what we have been reading in Kierkegaard might help inform actual situations of moral and ...
More
This chapter offers what is essentially a kind of thought-experiment in which we might begin to see how what we have been reading in Kierkegaard might help inform actual situations of moral and personal choice and help us live good, or at least better, lives. It presents three examples, two of which come from one of the darkest episodes of modern history, whilst the third is taken from fiction. The issues in these examples invite us to ponder what it might mean to be complicit in crimes against humanity and how we might decide the limits of criminal culpability.Less
This chapter offers what is essentially a kind of thought-experiment in which we might begin to see how what we have been reading in Kierkegaard might help inform actual situations of moral and personal choice and help us live good, or at least better, lives. It presents three examples, two of which come from one of the darkest episodes of modern history, whilst the third is taken from fiction. The issues in these examples invite us to ponder what it might mean to be complicit in crimes against humanity and how we might decide the limits of criminal culpability.
Anne Diebel
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199316564
- eISBN:
- 9780190496258
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199316564.003.0014
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
The rise of scientific determinism in the nineteenth century prompted English and American novelists to examine the possibility of moral motivation in a universe governed by impersonal forces. This ...
More
The rise of scientific determinism in the nineteenth century prompted English and American novelists to examine the possibility of moral motivation in a universe governed by impersonal forces. This “Reflection” considers how the American writer Theodore Dreiser, who along with many naturalist writers was influenced by evolutionary and mechanistic theories of behavior, portrays in his novel Sister Carrie a moment of moral choice: the moment when George Hurstwood wavers about whether to steal a large sum of money from his employers, only to have the decision made for him when the safe door swings shut. Although Hurstwood’s motivation is rendered irrelevant by a law of physics, Dreiser represents his internal struggle with great detail and urgency, suggesting that despite nature’s indifference to our moral beliefs, literature can and should represent the ways we imagine ourselves to be moral agents.Less
The rise of scientific determinism in the nineteenth century prompted English and American novelists to examine the possibility of moral motivation in a universe governed by impersonal forces. This “Reflection” considers how the American writer Theodore Dreiser, who along with many naturalist writers was influenced by evolutionary and mechanistic theories of behavior, portrays in his novel Sister Carrie a moment of moral choice: the moment when George Hurstwood wavers about whether to steal a large sum of money from his employers, only to have the decision made for him when the safe door swings shut. Although Hurstwood’s motivation is rendered irrelevant by a law of physics, Dreiser represents his internal struggle with great detail and urgency, suggesting that despite nature’s indifference to our moral beliefs, literature can and should represent the ways we imagine ourselves to be moral agents.
Kwame Anthony Appiah
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- June 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198825067
- eISBN:
- 9780191863745
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198825067.003.0005
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Corporate Governance and Accountability, Political Economy
As business decisions and actions spill over into society in ways that arouse our concern, it is useful to explore how philosophy might offer an alternative perspective to consequentialism. This ...
More
As business decisions and actions spill over into society in ways that arouse our concern, it is useful to explore how philosophy might offer an alternative perspective to consequentialism. This chapter reviews the conventional approach and the risks of “maximizing.” It submits that the narrowly consequential approach provides us with practical reasons for action but neglects normative or moral reasoning. Reasons for doing might be based on rational choice, but reasons for being (existential reasons) and feeling (sentimental reasons) are guided by moral choice. That these last two may not be “commensurable” does not make them less important. Treating everything as tradable with everything else may be bad for the soul and society. We have moral reasons to feel and to be certain ways, as well as to do certain things. It is time to pay greater heed to Jim March’s long-standing challenge to consequentialist decision theories.Less
As business decisions and actions spill over into society in ways that arouse our concern, it is useful to explore how philosophy might offer an alternative perspective to consequentialism. This chapter reviews the conventional approach and the risks of “maximizing.” It submits that the narrowly consequential approach provides us with practical reasons for action but neglects normative or moral reasoning. Reasons for doing might be based on rational choice, but reasons for being (existential reasons) and feeling (sentimental reasons) are guided by moral choice. That these last two may not be “commensurable” does not make them less important. Treating everything as tradable with everything else may be bad for the soul and society. We have moral reasons to feel and to be certain ways, as well as to do certain things. It is time to pay greater heed to Jim March’s long-standing challenge to consequentialist decision theories.
Steven D. Levitt and John A. List
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780195328325
- eISBN:
- 9780190202187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328325.003.0015
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Behavioural Economics
The chapter starts by presenting a simple model in which utility maximization is influenced not only by wealth-maximization, but also by an individual's desire to make the right moral choice. It then ...
More
The chapter starts by presenting a simple model in which utility maximization is influenced not only by wealth-maximization, but also by an individual's desire to make the right moral choice. It then looks at the empirical evidence. The bulk of the discussion is on the class of experiments that is believed to measure pro-social preferences. The chapter then provides a summary of the most popular games of this type. It then looks at the extent of the differences between what is observed in laboratory experiments and what is seen in naturally occurring environments, and explores how these differences affect the generalizability of experimental results outside the lab. The chapter concludes that, just as is the case with naturally-occurring data, great caution is needed when attempting to generalize lab results out of sample.Less
The chapter starts by presenting a simple model in which utility maximization is influenced not only by wealth-maximization, but also by an individual's desire to make the right moral choice. It then looks at the empirical evidence. The bulk of the discussion is on the class of experiments that is believed to measure pro-social preferences. The chapter then provides a summary of the most popular games of this type. It then looks at the extent of the differences between what is observed in laboratory experiments and what is seen in naturally occurring environments, and explores how these differences affect the generalizability of experimental results outside the lab. The chapter concludes that, just as is the case with naturally-occurring data, great caution is needed when attempting to generalize lab results out of sample.
Faisal Devji
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231153591
- eISBN:
- 9780231526975
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231153591.003.0012
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter examines how torture is employed to defend a political order that operates by denying practices condoned or carried out by states and would-be states. To this end, it critiques work by ...
More
This chapter examines how torture is employed to defend a political order that operates by denying practices condoned or carried out by states and would-be states. To this end, it critiques work by Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault, and Darius Rejali on torture. It also analyzes the Indian film Black Friday and martyrdom videotapes made by Muslim extremists, arguing that when torture becomes visible in media such as film it cannot be represented without throwing into question the integrity of modern institutions. Rather than seeing in torture’s supplementary character a demonstration of political rationality run wild—once it is unchained from the conventions and regulations that govern the behavior of states—the chapter contends that abuse actually illustrates the limits and anxieties of its dominion. By this account the legal conventions on torture should not be thought of as limiting political action, but instead as protecting its methods from such disruptive practices. The melodramatic role of moral choice in films about torture illustrates the possibility of life outside the regulative institutions of modern politics.Less
This chapter examines how torture is employed to defend a political order that operates by denying practices condoned or carried out by states and would-be states. To this end, it critiques work by Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault, and Darius Rejali on torture. It also analyzes the Indian film Black Friday and martyrdom videotapes made by Muslim extremists, arguing that when torture becomes visible in media such as film it cannot be represented without throwing into question the integrity of modern institutions. Rather than seeing in torture’s supplementary character a demonstration of political rationality run wild—once it is unchained from the conventions and regulations that govern the behavior of states—the chapter contends that abuse actually illustrates the limits and anxieties of its dominion. By this account the legal conventions on torture should not be thought of as limiting political action, but instead as protecting its methods from such disruptive practices. The melodramatic role of moral choice in films about torture illustrates the possibility of life outside the regulative institutions of modern politics.
Ory Amitay
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520266360
- eISBN:
- 9780520948174
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520266360.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
Alexander the Great and Jesus Christ are diametrically opposed. One lived a life of violence, the other shed his own blood for the sake of humanity. One was an agonistic and egotistic leader of men, ...
More
Alexander the Great and Jesus Christ are diametrically opposed. One lived a life of violence, the other shed his own blood for the sake of humanity. One was an agonistic and egotistic leader of men, the other walked selflessly and alone. One gained his victories in this world, the other is to do so in the next. The example set by Alexander inspired a fashion of self-divinization. The influence of this new-found fashion on the philosophy of religion is manifest in the famous theory of Euhemeros the Messenian, who argued that Ouranos, Kronos, and Zeus had all once been humans, and that they were deified as a reward for their benefactions to mankind. Yet there are also many memes shared by both Jesus and Alexander, including Divine sonship, dual paternity, virgin birth, moral choice in the face of temptation, world rule, mission for the benefit of humankind, death at a young age before the mission is complete and, finally, apotheosis.Less
Alexander the Great and Jesus Christ are diametrically opposed. One lived a life of violence, the other shed his own blood for the sake of humanity. One was an agonistic and egotistic leader of men, the other walked selflessly and alone. One gained his victories in this world, the other is to do so in the next. The example set by Alexander inspired a fashion of self-divinization. The influence of this new-found fashion on the philosophy of religion is manifest in the famous theory of Euhemeros the Messenian, who argued that Ouranos, Kronos, and Zeus had all once been humans, and that they were deified as a reward for their benefactions to mankind. Yet there are also many memes shared by both Jesus and Alexander, including Divine sonship, dual paternity, virgin birth, moral choice in the face of temptation, world rule, mission for the benefit of humankind, death at a young age before the mission is complete and, finally, apotheosis.
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780853235262
- eISBN:
- 9781846314025
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9780853235262.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, European Literature
This chapter examines Patrick Modiano's use of historical facts in his fiction. It investigates how and why Modiano used the history of the Occupation of France and considers the issues of historical ...
More
This chapter examines Patrick Modiano's use of historical facts in his fiction. It investigates how and why Modiano used the history of the Occupation of France and considers the issues of historical truth and responsibility. It suggests that Modiano's novels are structured so that reading involves the making of moral choices for the reader and that he subverts and exposes the conventions of historical writing through the use of accurate historical facts within a non-referential narrative.Less
This chapter examines Patrick Modiano's use of historical facts in his fiction. It investigates how and why Modiano used the history of the Occupation of France and considers the issues of historical truth and responsibility. It suggests that Modiano's novels are structured so that reading involves the making of moral choices for the reader and that he subverts and exposes the conventions of historical writing through the use of accurate historical facts within a non-referential narrative.
Fabio Caiani and Catherine Cobham
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780748641413
- eISBN:
- 9780748695225
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748641413.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature
This chapter introduces the work of al-Saqr by focusing on al-Shati‘ al-thani (‘The Other Shore’, 1998), the novel in which the author’s style and narrative techniques reached maturity. The chapter ...
More
This chapter introduces the work of al-Saqr by focusing on al-Shati‘ al-thani (‘The Other Shore’, 1998), the novel in which the author’s style and narrative techniques reached maturity. The chapter offers a technical analysis of such formal features, and focuses especially on how different types of dialogue are manipulated to depict the moral dilemmas and choices of the hero. Al-Shati‘ al-thani is also noteworthy as, unlike most other works analysed in this book, it is not set in the Iraqi capital, but in the author’s native city, Basra.Less
This chapter introduces the work of al-Saqr by focusing on al-Shati‘ al-thani (‘The Other Shore’, 1998), the novel in which the author’s style and narrative techniques reached maturity. The chapter offers a technical analysis of such formal features, and focuses especially on how different types of dialogue are manipulated to depict the moral dilemmas and choices of the hero. Al-Shati‘ al-thani is also noteworthy as, unlike most other works analysed in this book, it is not set in the Iraqi capital, but in the author’s native city, Basra.
