Behind my ideas of teaching ethics lies Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals. Specifically his genealogical method and his critique of Western morality. My copy of The Genealogy of Morals is one of the books that has disappeared since my arrest, so what follows is from my recollection.
I find critiques sharpen my own thinking by either pointing out my deficiencies or pointing towards ares of further examination. I would examine Ayn Rand's philosophy, even thought I find it an insidiously foolish philosophy.
I had a thought when I read Genealogy of Morals, that morality should be studied by anthropologists. My thought was we can find a social source for morality. Consider the virtue of charity, and in what society does it not appear? Why did the rulers of Ancient Egypt practice incest when no other did so? In short, there might be insights derived from Nietzsche's method.
From Nietzsche, I have this idea: what idea of ethics is wanted by our society?
No one will accept one society as modelling the best. But there must be a collection of values that can be modelled.
sch
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to comment