Ordinary Vices
Published on 1. July 1985
Book
Paperback/Softback
278 pages
978-0-674-64176-1 (ISBN)
Description
The seven deadly sins of Christianity represent the abysses of character, whereas Judith Shklar's "ordinary vices"-cruelty, hypocrisy, snobbery, betrayal, and misanthropy-are merely treacherous shoals, flawing our characters with mean-spiritedness and inhumanity.
Shklar draws from a brilliant array of writers-Moliere and Dickens on hypocrisy, Jane Austen on snobbery, Shakespeare and Montesquieu on misanthropy, Hawthorne and Nietzsche on cruelty, Conrad and Faulkner on betrayal-to reveal the nature and effects of the vices. She examines their destructive effects, the ambiguities of the moral problems they pose to the liberal ethos, and their implications for government and citizens: liberalism is a difficult and challenging doctrine that demands a tolerance of contradiction, complexity, and the risks of freedom.
Shklar draws from a brilliant array of writers-Moliere and Dickens on hypocrisy, Jane Austen on snobbery, Shakespeare and Montesquieu on misanthropy, Hawthorne and Nietzsche on cruelty, Conrad and Faulkner on betrayal-to reveal the nature and effects of the vices. She examines their destructive effects, the ambiguities of the moral problems they pose to the liberal ethos, and their implications for government and citizens: liberalism is a difficult and challenging doctrine that demands a tolerance of contradiction, complexity, and the risks of freedom.
Reviews / Votes
These are civilized excursions, literate and sensitive, and I cherish the book for its effort to move us out of the metalanguage and into the heart of darkness. Once we acknowledge the ordinariness of ordinary vices, the banality of normal badness, we may find ourselves not so distant from the moral monsters of human history, who may simply be us, writ large. -- A. C. Danto * Times Literary Supplement * The book is a delight to read. At every turn of the argument it spurs one to think, and gives added pleasure with each new perplexity it raises. Readers who relish thinking for its own sake will be happy to join in the sheer exuberance of it. -- Ronald Beiner * Times Higher Education Supplement * A distinguished book, full of wit, humanity, and insight... It is also, and more importantly, a moral psychology for liberals. -- Michael WalzerMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass.
United States
Publishing group
Harvard University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
None
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
417 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-64176-1 (9780674641761)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Judith N. Shklar (1928-1992) was John Cowles Professor of Government at Harvard University and a MacArthur Fellow. Her many books include American Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion, Ordinary Vices, and Legalism: Law, Morals, and Political Trials.
Content
Introduction: Thinking about Vices 1. Putting Cruelty First 2. Let Us not be Hypocritical 3. What is Wrong with Snobbery? 4. The Ambiguities of Betrayal 5. Misanthropy 6. Bad Characters for Good Liberals Notes Credits Index