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Books > Humanities > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Ethics & moral philosophy > General
While large bodies of scholarship exist on the plays of Shakespeare
and the philosophy of Heidegger, this book is the first to read
these two influential figures alongside one another, and to reveal
how they can help us develop a creative and contemplative sense of
ethics, or an 'ethical imagination'. Following the increased
interest in reading Shakespeare philosophically, it seems only
fitting that an encounter take place between the English language's
most prominent poet and the philosopher widely considered to be
central to continental philosophy. Interpreting the plays of
Shakespeare through the writings of Heidegger and vice versa, each
chapter pairs a select play with a select work of philosophy. In
these pairings the themes, events, and arguments of each work are
first carefully unpacked, and then key passages and concepts are
taken up and read against and through one another. As these
hermeneutic engagements and cross-readings unfold we find that the
words and deeds of Shakespeare's characters uniquely illuminate,
and are uniquely illuminated by, Heidegger's phenomenological
analyses of being, language, and art.
From the perspectives of positive psychology and positive
communication, superheroes are often depicted as possessing virtues
and serving as inspirational exemplars. However, many of the
virtues enumerated as characterizing the superhero (e.g., courage,
teamwork, creativity) could just as easily be applied to heroes of
other genres. To understand what is unique to the superhero genre,
How Superheroes Model Community: Philosophically, Communicatively,
Relationally looks not only to the virtues that animate them, but
also to the underlying moral framework that gives meaning to those
virtues. The key to understanding their character is that often
they save strangers, and they do so in the public sphere. The
superhero's moral framework, therefore, must encompass both the
motivation to act to benefit others rather than themselves
(especially people to whom they have no relational obligation) and
to preserve the public sphere against those who would disrupt it.
Given such a framework, Nathan Miczo argues that superheroes are
not, and could not, be loners. They constantly form team-ups, super
teams, alliances, partnerships, take on mentorship roles, and
create sidekicks. Social constructionist approaches in the
communication field argue that communication, in part, works to
shape and create our social reality. Through this lens, Miczo
proposes that superheroes maintain themselves as a community
through the communicative practices they engage in.
Popular interest in empathy has surged in the past two decades.
Research on its origins, uses and development is on the rise, and
empathy is increasingly referenced across a wide range of sectors -
from business to education. While there is widespread consensus
about the value of empathy, however, its supposed stable nature and
offerings remain insufficiently examined. By critically exploring
different perspectives and aspects of empathy in distinct contexts,
Exploring Empathy aims to generate deeper reflection about what is
at stake in discussions and practices of empathy in the 21st
century. Ten contributors representing seven disciplines and five
world regions contribute to this dialogical volume about empathy,
its offerings, limitations and potentialities for society. By
deepening our understanding of empathy in all its complexity, this
volume broadens the debate about both the role of empathy in
society, and effective ways to invoke it for the benefit of all.
In this important and original interdisciplinary work, well-known
environmental philosopher Eric Katz explores technology's role in
dominating both nature and humanity. He argues that technology
dominates, and hence destroys, the natural world; it dominates, and
hence destroys, critical aspects of human life and society.
Technology causes an estrangement from nature, and thus a loss of
meaning in human life. As a result, humans lose the power to make
moral and social choices; they lose the power to control their
lives. Katz's argument innovatively connects two distinct areas of
thought: the fundamental goal of the Holocaust, including Nazi
environmental policy, to heal the degenerate elements of society;
and the plan to heal degraded natural systems that informs the
contemporary environmental policy of 'ecological restoration'. In
both arenas of 'healing,' Katz argues that technological forces
drive action, while domination emerges as the prevailing ideology.
Katz's work is a plea for the development of a technology that does
not dominate and destroy but instead promotes autonomy and
freedom.Anne Frank, a victim of Nazi ideology and action, saw the
titular tree behind her secret annex as a symbol of freedom and
moral goodness. In Katz's argument, the tree represents a free and
autonomous nature, resistant to human control and domination. Anne
Frank's Tree is rooted in an empirical approach to philosophy,
seating complex ethical ideas in an accessible and powerful
narrative of historical fact and deeply personal lived experience.
In Morality and Ethics of War, which includes a foreword by Major
General Susan Coyle, ethicist Deane-Peter Baker goes beyond
existing treatments of military ethics to address a fundamental
problem: the yawning gap between the diverse moral frameworks
defining personal identity on the one hand, and the professional
military ethic on the other. Baker argues that overcoming this
chasm is essential to minimising the ethical risks that can lead to
operational and strategic failure for military forces engaged in
today's complex conflict environment. He contends that spanning the
gap is vital in preventing moral injury from befalling the nation's
uniformed servants. Drawing on a revised account of what he calls
'the Just War Continuum', Baker develops a bridging framework that
combines conceptual clarity and rigour with insights from cutting
edge psychological research and creates a practical means for
military leaders to negotiate the moral chasm in military affairs.
This volume brings together fourteen mostly previously published
articles by the prominent Nietzsche scholar Maudemarie Clark.
Clark's previous two books on Nietzsche focused on his views on
truth, metaphysics, and knowledge, but she has published a great
deal on Nietzsche's views on ethics and politics in article form.
Putting those articles - many of which appeared in obscure venues -
together in book form will allow readers to see more easily how her
views fit together as a whole, exhibit important developments of
her ideas, and highlight Clark's distinctive voice in Nietzsche
studies. Clark provides an introduction tying her themes together
and placing them in their broader context.
Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics is an annual forum for new work
in normative ethical theory. Leading philosophers present original
contributions to our understanding of a wide range of moral issues
and positions, from analysis of competing approaches to normative
ethics (including moral realism, constructivism, and expressivism)
to questions of how we should act and live well. OSNE will be an
essential resource for scholars and students working in moral
philosophy.
Featuring leading scholars from philosophy and religious studies,
The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Ethics dispels the myth
that Indian thinkers and philosophers were uninterested in ethics.
This comprehensive research handbook traces Indian moral philosophy
through classical, scholastic Indian philosophy, pan-Indian
literature including the Epics, Ayurvedic medical ethics, as well
as recent, traditionalist and Neo-Hindu contributions. Contrary to
the usual myths about India (that Indians were too busy being
religious to care about ethics), moral theory constitutes the
paradigmatic differentia of formal Indian philosophy, and is
reflected richly in popular literature. Many of the papers make
this clear by an analytic explication that draws critical
comparisons and contrasts between classical Indian moral philosophy
and contemporary contributions to ethics. By critically addressing
ethics as a sub-discipline of philosophy and acknowledging the
mistaken marginalization of Indian moral philosophy, this handbook
reveals how Indian contributions can illuminate contemporary
philosophical research on ethics. Unlike previous approaches to
Indian ethics, this volume is organized in accordance with major
topics in moral philosophy. The volume contains an extended
introduction, exploring topics in moral semantics, the philosophy
of thought, (metaethical and normative) ethical theory, and the
politics of scholarship, which serve to show how the diversity of
Indian moral philosophy is a contribution to the discipline of
ethics. With an overview of Indian moral theory, and a glossary,
this is a valuable guide to understanding the past, present and
future research directions of a central component of Indian
philosophy.
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