Overview
Offers a new perspective and a rigorously argued case for the place of basic moral certainty at the foundation of our human moralities
Argues that some of our foundational basic moral certainties are universal in scope, that is are held by all functioning moral agents
Pushes for a new understanding of the source of our moral thinking, by introducing the notion of ‘primary recognition’
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
What lies at the foundation of our moral beliefs? If we dig down far enough do we find that our moral values have no ground at all to stand on, and so are apt to collapse upon serious philosophical investigation? This book seeks to answer these and related questions by positing an indubitable foundation for our moral beliefs – they arise from the phenomenon of ‘primary recognition’, and are fundamentally shaped by ‘basic moral certainties’. Drawing on philosophers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Knud Ejler Løgstrup, this book draws together insights from both Analytic and Continental philosophy to provide a convincing new picture of our moral foundations. And it does so in a way that eschews moral conservativism and opens the way for a rich understanding of the variety and particularity of our human moral systems, while also keeping a significant place for those moral beliefs that occur universally, across cultures.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Neil O’Hara has been Visiting Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire,UK, where he completed his PhD. His primary research concerns metaethics, the latter Wittgenstein, and the moral philosophy of Knud Ejler Løgstrup.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Moral Certainty and the Foundations of Morality
Authors: Neil O'Hara
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75444-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-75443-7Published: 23 March 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-09232-0Published: 02 February 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-75444-4Published: 15 March 2018
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XII, 203
Topics: Moral Philosophy, Social Philosophy, Philosophy of Man, Ethics