Beyond the Ethical Demand

Beyond the Ethical Demand
Author: Knud Ejler Løgstrup
Publisher:
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2007
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN:

This book contains excerpts, translated into English for the first time, from the numerous books and essays Løgstrup continued to write throughout his life after his landmark work, The Ethical Demand.

The Ethical Demand

The Ethical Demand
Author: Knud Ejler Løgstrup
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
Total Pages: 286
Release: 1997-02-15
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0268161267

Knud Ejler Løgstrup’s The Ethical Demand is the most original influential Danish contribution to moral philosophy in this century. This is the first time that the complete text has been available in English translation. Originally published in 1956, it has again become the subject of widespread interest in Europe, now read in the context of the whole of Løgstrup’s work. The Ethical Demand marks a break not only with utilitarianism and with Kantianism but also with Kierkegaard’s Christian existentialism and with all forms of subjectivism. Yet Løgstrup’s project is not destructive. Rather, it is a presentation of an alternative understanding of interpersonal life. The ethical demand presupposes that all interaction between human beings involves a basic trust. Its content cannot be derived from any rule. For Løgstrup, there is not Christian morality and secular morality. There is only human morality.

The Ethical Demand

The Ethical Demand
Author: K. E. Løgstrup
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2020-03-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0198855982

The Ethical Demand (1956) by K. E. L�gstrup is one of the great works of modern moral philosophy: it is presented here in a new translation with introduction and notes. L�gstrup puts forward his distinctive view concerning our vulnerability to each other and what this requires of us in response. He starts by considering Jesus's 'proclamation' to love your neighbour and how this can be understood in 'purely human terms' as relating to basic features of our existence. Reflecting on the phenomenon of trust, L�gstrup emphasizes the fundamental interdependence of human life and how this gives rise to an 'ethical demand' on us to care for the other, which he characterizes as radical, silent, one-sided, and unfulfillable. In order to make sense of a demand of this sort, L�gstrup argues, we must see 'life as a gift', rather than treating ourselves as the sovereign grounds for our own existence. He contrasts this demand to social norms, which are often reciprocal in this way, and argues that while such norms are changeable, the ethical demand itself is absolute. L�gstrup therefore makes a fundamental contribution to our understanding of the nature of-and basis for-our obligations to each other. In this critical edition, L�gstrup's original text is accurately rendered into readable English and paired with an introduction which explains the main themes and wider context of the work.

What Is Ethically Demanded?

What Is Ethically Demanded?
Author: Hans Fink
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2017-06-15
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0268101884

This collection of essays by leading international philosophers considers central themes in the ethics of Danish philosopher Knud Ejler Løgstrup (1905–1981). Løgstrup was a Lutheran theologian much influenced by phenomenology and by strong currents in Danish culture, to which he himself made important contributions. The essays in What Is Ethically Demanded? K. E. Løgstrup's Philosophy of Moral Life are divided into four sections. The first section deals predominantly with Løgstrup's relation to Kant and, through Kant, the system of morality in general. The second section focuses on how Løgstrup stands in connection with Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Levinas. The third section considers issues in the development of Løgstrup's ethics and how it relates to other aspects of his thought. The final section covers certain central themes in Løgstrup's position, particularly his claims about trust and the unfulfillability of the ethical demand. The volume includes a previously untranslated early essay by Løgstrup, "The Anthropology of Kant’s Ethics," which defines some of his basic ethical ideas in opposition to Kant’s. The book will appeal to philosophers and theologians with an interest in ethics and the history of philosophy. Contributors: K. E. Løgstrup, Svend Andersen, David Bugge, Svein Aage Christoffersen, Stephen Darwall, Peter Dews, Paul Faulkner, Hans Fink, Arne Grøn, Alasdair MacIntyre, Wayne Martin, Kees van Kooten Niekerk, George Pattison, Robert Stern, and Patrick Stokes.

Ethical Concepts and Problems

Ethical Concepts and Problems
Author: K. E. Løgstrup
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 157
Release: 2020-04-30
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 019885904X

This is first English edition of Ethical Concepts and Problems (1971) by Danish philosopher and theologian K. E. L�gstrup (1905-81). Originally published as a contribution to a textbook of ethics for students of theology, it propounds a philosophical ethics in continuity with Martin Luther's conception of the natural law. We find here the core idea from The Ethical Demand, that in our dealings with others we are faced with the demand that we take care of them, now conceptualized as the central tenet of an ontological ethics based on human interdependence as a fundamental condition of life. Later in his career, L�gstrup developed a conception of what he called 'the sovereign expressions of life'-spontaneous other-regarding impulses or ways of conduct such as trust, sincerity, and compassion-and these are here described and determined in their relation to the ethical demand and moral norms. Furthermore, this key text discusses a number of central ethical concepts such as duty, responsibility, will, and choice. L�gstrup also explores the relationship between love of the neighbour and politics, before finally concluding with an extensive discussion of political questions such as cultural policy, democracy, and the right of resistance. Ethical Concepts and Problems therefore offers an instructive survey of important parts of L�gstrup's ethical and political thinking, from theological issues like Luther's doctrine of the bondage of the will, to the ideas of philosophers such as Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard. In this edition L�gstrup's original text is accurately rendered into readable English and paired with an introduction which explains the main themes and wider context of the work.

The Second-Person Standpoint

The Second-Person Standpoint
Author: Stephen Darwall
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2009-09-30
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0674034627

Why should we avoid doing moral wrong? The inability of philosophy to answer this question in a compelling manner—along with the moral skepticism and ethical confusion that ensue—result, Stephen Darwall argues, from our failure to appreciate the essentially interpersonal character of moral obligation. After showing how attempts to vindicate morality have tended to change the subject—falling back on non-moral values or practical, first-person considerations—Darwall elaborates the interpersonal nature of moral obligations: their inherent link to our responsibilities to one another as members of the moral community. As Darwall defines it, the concept of moral obligation has an irreducibly second-person aspect; it presupposes our authority to make claims and demands on one another. And so too do many other central notions, including those of rights, the dignity of and respect for persons, and the very concept of person itself. The result is nothing less than a fundamental reorientation of moral theory that enables it at last to account for morality’s supreme authority—an account that Darwall carries from the realm of theory to the practical world of second-person attitudes, emotions, and actions.

Beyond Bioethics

Beyond Bioethics
Author: Osagie K. Obasogie
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2018-03-13
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0520277821

"For several decades, the field of bioethics has played a dominant role in shaping the way society thinks about ethical problems related to developments in science, technology, and medicine. But its traditional emphases on, for example, doctor-patient relationships, informed consent, and individual autonomy have led the field to not be fully responsive to the challenges posed by new human biotechnologies such as assisted reproduction, human genetic enhancement, and DNA forensics. Beyond Bioethics provides a focused overview for students and others grappling with the profound social dilemmas posed by these developments. It brings together the work of cutting-edge thinkers from diverse fields of study and public engagement, all of them committed to a new perspective that is grounded in social justice and public interest values. The contributors to this volume seek to define an emerging field of scholarly, policy, and public concern: a new biopolitics."--Provided by publisher.

Dust that Breathes

Dust that Breathes
Author: William Schweiker
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2010-12-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1444392808

In this insightful and look at the practical challenges and possibilities for Christian life in the global age, Schweiker investigates Christianity’s current relevance and discusses how the life of faith can be oriented. Explores the big religious themes of modern life, including religious identity in global times, the role of conscience, integrity, and versions of religious humanism Written by an author who is internationally recognized as one of the world’s leading theologians Draws on the work of some prominent contemporary philosophers and theologians to clarify the nature of faith Unique in its appreciation of the ambiguity of religion – in its representations of the highest human achievements as well as the very worst of human actions – using a balanced and engaged approach to discusses contentious theological and intellectual issues

Infinitely Demanding

Infinitely Demanding
Author: Simon Critchley
Publisher: Verso Books
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2013-01-16
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1781680175

The clearest, boldest and most systematic statement of Simon Critchley’s influential views on philosophy, ethics, and politics, Infinitely Demanding identifies a massive political disappointment at the heart of liberal democracy. Arguing that what is called for is an ethics of commitment that can inform a radical politics, Critchley considers the possibility of political subjectivity and action after Marx and Marxism, taking in the work of Kant, Levinas, Badiou and Lacan. Infinitely Demanding culminates in an argument for anarchism as an ethical practice and a remotivating means of political organization.

The Moral Demands of Memory

The Moral Demands of Memory
Author: Jeffrey Blustein
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 13
Release: 2008-03-03
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1139470795

Despite an explosion of studies on memory in historical and cultural studies, there is relatively little in moral philosophy on this subject. In this book, Jeffrey Blustein provides a systematic and philosophically rigorous account of a morality of memory. Drawing on a broad range of philosophical and humanistic literatures, he offers a novel examination of memory and our relations to people and events from our past, the ways in which memory is preserved and transmitted, and the moral responsibilities associated with it. Blustein treats topics of responsibility for one's own past; historical injustice and the role of memory in doing justice to the past; the relationship of collective memory to history and identity; collective and individual obligations to remember those who have died, including those who are dear to us; and the moral significance of bearing witness.