Résumé de section

  • 16. Characteristics of the ideal of authenticity and malaise of modernity (Ch. Taylor)

    17. Basic features of situational ethics (J. Fletcher)

    18. Care ethics and its critique of other ethical concepts (V. Held)

    The final part of the lecture is devoted to several other examples of contemporary ethical concepts. Charles Taylor's ethics of authenticity is not normative, but descriptive ethics, analyzing the ideal of authentic life in modern societies of Euro-American civilization. The situational ethics of Joseph Fletcher is an example of Christian-inspired ethics, emphasizing the primacy of taking situational considerations before blindly applying abstract principles in ethically problematic situations. Finally, Virginia Held's ethics of care will be introduced, emphasizing the role of relationships, trust and emotions in ethics. However, some criticisms of ethics of care against other ethical concepts seem unfounded.