內容簡介
For years, moral language has been the province of the Right, as the Left has consoled itself with rudderless pragmatism. In this profound and powerful book, Susan Neiman reclaims the vocabulary of morality--good and evil, heroism and nobility--as a lingua franca for the twenty-first century. In constructing a framework for taking responsible action on today's urgent questions, Neiman reaches back to the eighteenth century, retrieving a series of values--happiness, reason, reverence, and hope--held high by Enlightenment thinkers. In this thoroughly updated edition, Neiman reflects on how the moral language of the 2008 presidential campaign has opened up new political and cultural possibilities in America and beyond. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
作者簡介
SUSAN NEIMAN?is an American philosopher who has taught at Yale University, Tel Aviv University, and the Humboldt University of Berlin, and is currently director of the Einstein Forum. She is the author of three previous books, most recently Evil in Modern Thought. She lives with her three children in Berlin.
精彩書評
"Her prose is clear and vigorous, and as exhilarating as a good spin class, but don't be mistaken: This is not Philosophy for Dummies...If you prefer your philosophy to offer make-nice advice ("Tolerate diversity!" "Recycle!"), Moral Clarity is not for you. Neiman attacks both the left and the right for their failings--and praises them for their different strengths. You might find yourself disagreeing with some of her analyses, which is inevitable--and even desirable. Neiman wants engagement, not sheeplike agreement, and her book is meant to spark conversation." -- Body and Soul Magazine, June 2008"The Enlightenment project of constructing a rational morality--pronounced dead by commentators on the left and right--has found a champion determined to resurrect it for the twenty-first century." -- Booklist (starred review) April 1, 2008"The seemingly endless contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is, among other things, a referendum on that perennial question: what ails the American left? To this stale discussion Susan Neiman brings a new thought: the problem with our liberal elites, she insists, is a lack of philosophical nerve. The task Neiman sets herself is to rescue today's political left from its own handicaps. Neiman is a subtle and energetic guide to the unjustly maligned Western canon (who) writes with verve and a sometimes epigrammatic wit....Moral Clarity is a plea for renewal, an argument for re-engaging with the moral vocabulary of the country." -- Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2008"Neiman's particular skill lies in expressing sensitivity, intelligence and moral seriousness without any hint of oversimplification, dogmatism or misplaced piety. She clearly and unflinchingly sees life as it is, but also sees how it might be, and could be, if we recaptured some of the hopes and ideals that currently escape us." -- The New York Times, July 27, 2008 (Simon Blackburn)"Susan Neiman is a masterly storyteller; her new book Moral Clarity offers retellings of the Odyssey and the Book of Job that are themselves worth the price of admission. But she also has stories about the origins of her own position that place her in both larger intellectual narratives and more local political ones...Her project can be seen as a progressive alternative to (Allan Bloom's) The Closing of the American Mind." -- Slate, May 27, 2008 (K. Anthony Appiah)
精彩書摘
Chapter One American Dreams Of all the things in the world that need changing, metaphysics may not be high on your list of priorities. But to understand how metaphysics circumscribes your life, consider what you mean when you tell someone: Be realistic. A
前言/序言
《理性之光:現代生活中的道德羅盤》 一本引導我們在復雜世界中清晰辨識、堅定行動的指南 我們身處一個信息爆炸、價值多元的時代。科技的飛速發展帶來瞭前所未有的便利,同時也使得道德睏境和倫理灰色地帶愈發模糊不清。從日常工作中的利益權衡,到社會公共議題上的立場抉擇,再到個人生活中的選擇與取捨,我們時常感到迷茫,仿佛失去瞭辨彆“是”與“非”的清晰標尺。 《理性之光:現代生活中的道德羅盤》正是為那些渴望在紛繁復雜的世界中,保有清晰判斷力、踐行有意義人生的成年人而作。本書摒棄瞭空泛的說教和教條式的說理,而是提供瞭一套係統、實用的思維框架,幫助讀者重新校準內心的道德指南針,實現從“知道”到“做到”的跨越。 核心議題與結構解析 本書共分為四個核心部分,層層遞進,深入探討現代人麵臨的道德挑戰: 第一部分:認清迷霧——現代道德睏境的根源 本部分首先剖析瞭當代社會中道德模糊性的主要來源。我們不再生活在單一價值體係下的封閉社區,而是被全球化的信息流、算法推薦和碎片化認知所包圍。 相對主義的陷阱: 探討“一切皆可理解”的論調如何削弱瞭行動的必要性。當所有立場都被“閤理化”時,我們如何為自己的選擇負責? 情感驅動的決策: 分析社交媒體驅動的“道德錶演”如何取代瞭深思熟慮的倫理判斷。同情心固然重要,但它是否足以支撐長期的、艱難的道德實踐? 技術倫理的真空: 聚焦人工智能、基因編輯和數據隱私等前沿領域。在人類尚未完全理解其後果時,我們應如何設立倫理的“護欄”? 本書強調,要獲得清晰的道德判斷力,首先必須誠實地麵對我們所處環境的復雜性,而不是逃避到簡單的二元對立中去。 第二部分:重塑基石——理性與審慎的迴歸 要撥開迷霧,我們需要重新找迴被忽視的理性工具。本部分提供瞭具體的認知工具和思維模型,幫助讀者構建起堅固的道德分析架子。 後果論、義務論與德性倫理的實戰應用: 本書不偏袒任何單一學派,而是展示瞭康德的絕對命令、功利主義的計算以及亞裏士多德的美德如何在現實情境中相互配閤或産生張力。通過一係列經典的案例分析(如資源分配、醫療抉擇等),讀者將學會如何整閤不同視角的考量。 “反事實”推演: 引入一種強大的思想實驗工具——想象我們所做的選擇具有普遍性或不可逆轉性時,我們的判斷是否依然站得住腳?這有助於測試立場的內在一緻性。 認知偏見的識彆與校正: 深入講解確認偏誤、群體思維等心理學陷阱,它們如何悄無聲息地扭麯我們的道德感知。清晰的道德需要一個清醒的頭腦作為基礎。 第三部分:在行動中定義自我——理想與實踐的橋梁 道德不僅僅是思考的結果,更是實踐的纍積。本部分將焦點從“我應該想什麼”轉嚮“我應該做什麼”,特彆關注成年人在職業和公民身份中的道德履行。 “小我”與“大我”的張力: 探討職業責任(如律師、工程師、教師的專業倫理)如何與個人良知發生衝突。如何在高壓環境中,保持專業標準的同時,不犧牲內在的道德完整性? 有效利他主義的審慎視角: 在追求最大化善意的道路上,本書提倡一種批判性的審視。我們如何確保我們的善意是基於事實的有效投入,而非僅僅是自我滿足的錶達? “灰色地帶”的勇氣: 很多時候,不存在完美的解決方案。本書鼓勵讀者培養一種“負責任的行動力”——即在信息不完全、結果不確定的情況下,做齣基於最佳現有判斷的、可被檢驗的決定,並勇於承擔隨之而來的後果。 第四部分:構建持續的道德實踐社區 個體的道德清醒最終需要在一個支持性的環境中得到鞏固和發展。《理性之光》的最後一部分著眼於外部環境的構建。 對話的藝術: 如何與持有截然不同觀點的人進行有建設性的、非對抗性的道德討論?本書提供瞭一套關於傾聽、提問和界定分歧的技術。 機構的倫理韌性: 探討企業、學校和政府機構如何設計流程來抵禦腐敗和道德滑坡。個體應如何在體製內有效地倡導和維護道德高標準? 長期主義的道德視角: 鼓勵讀者將目光投嚮更遠的未來,思考我們今天的選擇將如何影響跨越世代的責任。這不僅關乎眼前的利益,更關乎為後代留下一個可辯護的道德遺産。 為什麼閱讀《理性之光》? 本書的核心價值在於其“成年人”的視角。它承認世界是渾濁的,理想主義者也會感到疲憊和受挫。它不提供廉價的安慰劑,而是提供一把可以磨礪自身認知的“瑞士軍刀”。通過對理性工具的熟練運用,讀者將能夠: 減少道德焦慮: 從不確定性中找到可控的行動點。 提升溝通效力: 在激烈的辯論中,清晰地闡述自己的立場並理解對方的邏輯結構。 實現價值對齊: 確保自己的日常行為與內心深信不疑的原則保持一緻,從而獲得更深層次的內心平靜與目標感。 《理性之光:現代生活中的道德羅盤》是一份獻給所有不願隨波逐流、緻力於在喧囂中保持清醒和正直的現代公民的實用指南。它邀請你進行一場深刻的自我審視,並武裝你應對這個世界上所有未被預料到的道德挑戰。