The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy
This book is a study of ancient views about 'moral luck'.
It examines the fundamental ethical problem that many of the valued
constituents of a well-lived life are vulnerable to factors outside
a person's control, and asks how this affects our appraisal of
persons and their lives. The Greeks made a profound contribution to
these questions, yet neither the problems nor the Greek views of
them have received the attention they deserve. This book thus
recovers a central dimension of Greek thought and addresses major
issues in contemporary ethical theory. One of its most original
aspects is its interrelated treatment of both literary and
philosophical texts. The Fragility of Goodness has proven to be
important reading for philosophers and classicists, and its
non-technical style makes it accessible to any educated person
interested in the difficult problems it tackles. This new edition
features an entirely new preface by Martha Nussbaum.
Table of contents:
Preface; 1. Luck and ethics; Part I. Tragedy: Fragility and
Ambition: 2. Aeschylus and practical conflict; 3. Sophocles'
Antigone: conflict, vision, and simplification; Part II. Plato:
Goodness without Fragility: 4. The Protagoras: a science of
practical reasoning; Interlude 1. Plato's anti-tragic theater;
5. The Republic: true value and the standpoint of perfection; 6.
The speech of Alcibiades: a reading of the Symposium; 7. 'This
story isn't true': madness, reason, and recantation in the
Phaedrus; Part III. Aristotle: The Fragility of the Good Human
Life: Introduction; 8. Saving Aristotle's appearances; 9.
Rational animals and the explanation of action; 10. Non-scientific
deliberation; 11. The vulnerability of the Good Human Life:
activity and disaster; 12. The vulnerability of the Good Human
Life: relational goods; Appendix to Part III; Interlude 2. Luck and
the tragic emotions; Epilogue: Tragedy; 13. The betrayal of
convention: a reading of Euripedes' Hecuba.
This book is a study of ancient views about 'moral luck'.
It examines the fundamental ethical problem that many of the valued
constituents of a well-lived life are vulnerable to factors outside
a person's control, and asks how this affects our appraisal of
persons and their lives.
This book is a study of ancient views about 'moral luck'.
"[Nussbaum's] book still has much to offer." BMCR "This is an immensely rich and stimulating book. This is partly because the author combines to a rare degree qualities not often found together: a scholar's understanding of the text with rigour of argument, and these together with an imaginative grasp of moral questions. But it is also because she has chosen to write a very ambitious book, to grapple with some fundamental, perennial issues...It should change the tenor of debate in more than one field." Charles Taylor, Canadian Journal of Philosophy "Over fifteen years since its first appearance, this work is still of interest to literary critics, philosophers and intellectual historians alike." Patrick O'Sullivan, University of Cantebury, Christchurch, NZ
Inhaltsangabe
Preface 1. Luck and ethics Part I. Tragedy: Fragility and Ambition: 2. Aeschylus and practical conflict 3. Sophocles' Antigone: conflict, vision, and simplification Part II. Plato: Goodness without Fragility: 4. The Protagoras: a science of practical reasoning Interlude 1. Plato's anti-tragic theater 5. The Republic: true value and the standpoint of perfection 6. The speech of Alcibiades: a reading of the Symposium 7. 'This story isn't true': madness, reason, and recantation in the Phaedrus Part III. Aristotle: The Fragility of the Good Human Life: Introduction 8. Saving Aristotle's appearances 9. Rational animals and the explanation of action 10. Non-scientific deliberation 11. The vulnerability of the Good Human Life: activity and disaster 12. The vulnerability of the Good Human Life: relational goods Appendix to Part III Interlude 2. Luck and the tragic emotions Epilogue: Tragedy 13. The betrayal of convention: a reading of Euripedes' Hecuba.
