Writing and the Moral Self

The contemporary view of writing as morally neutral assumes the modern conception of scientific truth versus art. Non fiction is judged on the basis of truth or falsity; fiction for its beauty or emotive qualities, and no place is left for writing as an embodiment of values, whereas writing is an instrument serving ends distinct from itself. In "Writing and the Moral Self", Berel Lang analyzes the relation between writing and ethics in a number of important social contexts - in politics, as language discloses its connections to the institutions of totalitarianism and democracy; in the university, as contemporary scholarly ideals find an uncomfortably accurate representation in the stylistic forms of academic writing; in daily social practice, ranging from the status of truth in journalistic writing to the connection between pronouns and affirmative action; and finally, in the ethical structure of language itself, even in its grammar. This book should be of interest to students and teachers of philosophy, linguistics and literature.