Why Ethics?: Signs of Responsibilities
By Robert Gibbs
()
About this ebook
Robert Gibbs presents here an ambitious new theory of ethics. Drawing on a striking combination of intellectual traditions, including Jewish thought, continental philosophy, and American pragmatism, Gibbs argues that ethics is primarily concerned with responsibility and is not--as philosophers have often assumed--principally a matter of thinking about the right thing to do and acting in accordance with the abstract dictates of reason or will. More specifically, ethics is concerned with attending to others' questions and bearing responsibility for what they do.
Gibbs builds this innovative case by exploring the implicit responsibilities in a broad range of human interactions, paying especially close attention to the signs that people give and receive as they relate to each other. Why Ethics? starts by examining the simple actions of listening and speaking, reading and writing, and by focusing on the different responsibilities that each action entails. The author discusses what he describes as the mutual responsibilities implicit in the actions of reasoning, mediating, and judging. He assesses the relationships among ethics, pragmatics, and Jewish philosophy. The book concludes by looking at the relation of memory and the immemorial, emphasizing the need to respond for past actions by confessing, seeking forgiveness, and making reconciliations.
In format, Gibbs adopts a Talmudic approach, interweaving brief citations from primary texts with his commentary. He draws these texts from diverse thinkers and sources, including Levinas, Derrida, Habermas, Rosenzweig, Luhmann, Peirce, James, Royce, Benjamin, Maimonides, the Bible, and the Talmud. Ranging over philosophy, literary theory, social theory, and historiography, this is an ambitious and provocative work that holds profound lessons for how we think about ethics and how we seek to live responsibly.
Robert Gibbs
Robert Gibbs is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. Author of Correlations in Rosenzweig and Levinas and coauthor of Reasoning after Revelation: Dialogues in Postmodern Jewish Philosophy, he has written widely on questions of contemporary continental philosophy and its relations with Jewish thought.
Read more from Robert Gibbs
Correlations in Rosenzweig and Levinas Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Why Ethics?
Related ebooks
On Beauty and Measure: Plato's <i>Symposium</i> and <i>Statesman</i> Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Quest for God and the Good: World Philosophy as a Living Experience Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIntroducing Science and Religion: A path through polemic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGenEthics and Religion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMedieval Jewish Philosophy and Its Literary Forms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOther Others: The Political after the Talmud Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ontological Foundation of Ethics, Politics, and Law Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMedical Philosophy: A Philosophical Analysis of Patient Self-Perception in Diagnostics and Therapy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An Introduction to Israel's Wisdom Traditions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTruth and Compassion: Essays on Judaism and Religion in Memory of Rabbi Dr Solomon Frank Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIdolatry and Representation: The Philosophy of Franz Rosenzweig Reconsidered Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mixed Marriage…Interreligious, Interracial, Interethnic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivine Law and Political Philosophy in Plato's "Laws" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLanguage and Truth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew England Law Review: Volume 51, Number 1 - Winter 2017 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDelusions—Pragmatic Realism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Unspoken Morality of Childhood: Family, Friendship, Self-Esteem and the Wisdom of the Everyday Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaimonides' Guide of the Perplexed: A Philosophical Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCreation as Emanation: The Origin of Diversity in Albert the Great's On the Causes and the Procession of the Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Prophetic Peace: Judaism, Religion, and Politics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plato for the Modern Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Jews and Christians Interpret Their Sacred Texts: A Study in Transvaluation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvolution: Its nature, its evidence, and its relation to religious thought Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLaw and the Bible: Justice, Mercy and Legal Institutions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarmful Thoughts: Essays on Law, Self, and Morality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shaphan Group: The Fifteen Authors Who Shaped the Hebrew Bible Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPracticing to Aim at Truth: Theological Engagements in Honor of Nancey Murphy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSubjective Morals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Philosophy For You
Meditations: A New Translation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Daily Stoic: A Daily Journal On Meditation, Stoicism, Wisdom and Philosophy to Improve Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bhagavad Gita (in English): The Authentic English Translation for Accurate and Unbiased Understanding Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Questions for Deep Thinkers: 200+ of the Most Challenging Questions You (Probably) Never Thought to Ask Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hold a Cockroach: A book for those who are free and don't know it Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Be Here Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: Six Translations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lessons of History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Loving Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bhagavad Gita - The Song of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Buddha's Guide to Gratitude: The Life-changing Power of Everyday Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Why Ethics?
0 ratings0 reviews