
What Ought I to Do?
Morality in Kant and Levinas
Catherine Chalier(Author)
Cornell University Press
Published on 18. April 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-0-8014-8794-1 (ISBN)
Description
Is it possible to apply a theoretical approach to ethics? The French philosopher Catherine Chalier addresses this question with an unusual combination of traditional ethics and continental philosophy. In a powerful argument for the necessity of moral reflection, Chalier counters the notion that morality can be derived from theoretical knowledge.
Chalier analyzes the positions of two great moral philosophers, Kant and Levinas. While both are critical of an ethics founded on knowledge, their criticisms spring from distinctly different points of view. Chalier reexamines their conclusions, pitting Levinas against (and with) Kant, to interrogate the very foundations of moral philosophy and moral imperatives. She provides a clear, systematic comparison of their positions on essential ideas such as free will, happiness, freedom, and evil. Although based on a close and elegant presentation of Kant and Levinas, Chalier's book serves as a context for the development of the author's own reflections on the question "What am I supposed to do?" and its continued importance for contemporary philosophy.
Chalier analyzes the positions of two great moral philosophers, Kant and Levinas. While both are critical of an ethics founded on knowledge, their criticisms spring from distinctly different points of view. Chalier reexamines their conclusions, pitting Levinas against (and with) Kant, to interrogate the very foundations of moral philosophy and moral imperatives. She provides a clear, systematic comparison of their positions on essential ideas such as free will, happiness, freedom, and evil. Although based on a close and elegant presentation of Kant and Levinas, Chalier's book serves as a context for the development of the author's own reflections on the question "What am I supposed to do?" and its continued importance for contemporary philosophy.
Reviews / Votes
Chalier's accounts of Levinas's views draw on extensive knowledge of his works as a whole and are often exciting in scope and detail.... If you have wondered whether Levinas is a Kantian, you will find Chalier's knowledgeable book helpful for reflection on the question.- Deborah Achtenberg, University of Nevada Reno (Review of Metaphysics) Chalier's reflection on a possible dialogue between these figures in illuminating for moral philosophy in general, and for an understanding of Levinasian ethics in particular.
- Brigitt Sassen, McMaster University (Philosophy in Review)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Ithaca
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8014-8794-1 (9780801487941)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Catherine Chalier is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris, Nanterre, and the author of numerous books on Levinas. Jane Marie Todd is the translator of four books published by Cornell, most recently Algeria, 1830-2000: A Short History by Benjamin Stora.