Morality and Modernity

This monograph argues that the modern world calls into existence certain conceptions of morality, but also destroys the grounds for taking them seriously. The author examines the social presuppositions of the various conceptions of morality at work in the modern world. He attempts to cast new light on some familiar topics in contemporary moral philosophy - utilitarianism, Kantianism, liberalism, rights, virtue and moral realism - as well as less familiar ones such as power, gender, nihilism and nationalism. The text also provides a critical account of the most important moral responses to modernity, ranging from Mandeville, Hume, Adam Smith and Kant, through Marx, Nietzsche and Weber to Gewirth, Rawls, Habermas and MacIntyre.