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Ethics and human nature : a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings

Bibliography: p. 175-179.

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Main Author: Giddy, J P
Other Authors: Shutte, M F N
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Philosophy 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Giddy, J P
author2 Shutte, M F N
author_browse Giddy, J P
Shutte, M F N
author_facet Shutte, M F N
Giddy, J P
author_sort Giddy, J P
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description Bibliography: p. 175-179.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13414 Ethics and human nature : a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings Giddy, J P Shutte, M F N Philosophy Bibliography: p. 175-179. It is argued in this thesis that much modem and contemporary moral philosophy has been subjectivist, and that this is largely due to the theory of knowledge that has accompanied the increasing dominance of modem science in the determination of our thought-patterns. The expansion of standards of rational enquiry beyond the confines of empiricism, in the way that B.Lonergan has done, is a necessary part of any adequate contemporary restatement of ethical naturalism. Two different approaches to the Aristotelian tradition in ethics are discussed: in the one judgments of value are based on a particular human psychology; in the other they are related to the standards of excellence associated with social roles. Two contemporary writers - P. Simpson and A. Macintyre respectively - are taken as representative of these approaches. Neither account, it is argued, is fully successful: the metaphysical psychology of Simpson fails to take into account variations in social and cultural contexts; while the communitarianism of Macintyre remains to some extent unjustified. The basis for a more adequate defence of ethical naturalism is given in Lonergan's account of the normative structure of human self-determination. Two further writers are used to develop this argument. H.Meynell argues that morality is largely a matter of promoting the happiness not just of oneself and one's group, but of people in general, and that this can be objectively specified. R. Johann contends that there is a further necessary condition for moral goodness, viz. the commitment to the realisation of personal community. This is justified, I argue by way of conclusion, because human persons are radically dependent on a certain kind of influence of other persons for the development of their capacity for self- determination. 2015-07-14T08:39:57Z 2015-07-14T08:39:57Z 1994 Doctoral Thesis Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13414 eng application/pdf Department of Philosophy Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Philosophy
Giddy, J P
Ethics and human nature : a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings
thesis_degree_str Doctoral
title Ethics and human nature : a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings
title_full Ethics and human nature : a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings
title_fullStr Ethics and human nature : a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings
title_full_unstemmed Ethics and human nature : a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings
title_short Ethics and human nature : a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings
title_sort ethics and human nature a reconsideration of ethical naturalism in contemporary thomist writings
topic Philosophy
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13414
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