Against Ethical Exceptionalism: Through Critical Reflection on the History of Use of the Terms ‘Ethics’ and ‘Morals’ in Philosophy

Hans Fink

doi:10.1515/sats-2020-2010

Against Ethical Exceptionalism: Through Critical Reflection on the History of Use of the Terms ‘Ethics’ and ‘Morals’ in Philosophy

School of Culture and Society - Philosophy, subject

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Abstract

In this paper, I aim to support contextual ethics as a broad and open understanding of ethics and the ethical by commenting on the origin of the words 'ethics' and 'ethical' in Greek philosophy and on the ambiguities built into them from the beginning. I further list some complexities that arose when the Latinate words 'morals' and 'moral' began to be used in Roman, medieval and modern philosophy, sometimes as synonyms of and sometimes in contrast to 'ethics' and 'ethical'. Finally, I return to discuss the prospects of contextual ethics in the context of developments in moral philosophy in the twentieth century, adding some pragmatist arguments in its favour.

Original language	English
Journal	SATS - Northern European Journal of Philosophy
Volume	21
Issue	2
Pages (from-to)	85–100
Number of pages	16
ISSN	1600-1974
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1515/sats-2020-2010
Publication status	Published - 2020

Keywords

Aristotle
Dewey
Plato
contextual ethics
ethics
etymology
morals
von Wright

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Against Ethical Exceptionalism – Through Critical Reflection on the History of Use of the Terms ‘Ethics’ and ‘Morals’ in PhilosophyFinal published version, 305 KB

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abstract = "In this paper, I aim to support contextual ethics as a broad and open understanding of ethics and the ethical by commenting on the origin of the words 'ethics' and 'ethical' in Greek philosophy and on the ambiguities built into them from the beginning. I further list some complexities that arose when the Latinate words 'morals' and 'moral' began to be used in Roman, medieval and modern philosophy, sometimes as synonyms of and sometimes in contrast to 'ethics' and 'ethical'. Finally, I return to discuss the prospects of contextual ethics in the context of developments in moral philosophy in the twentieth century, adding some pragmatist arguments in its favour.",

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journal = "SATS - Northern European Journal of Philosophy",

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Against Ethical Exceptionalism: Through Critical Reflection on the History of Use of the Terms ‘Ethics’ and ‘Morals’ in Philosophy. / Fink, Hans.
In: SATS - Northern European Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 21, No. 2, 2020, p. 85–100.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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KW - Dewey

KW - Plato

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KW - ethics

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Against Ethical Exceptionalism: Through Critical Reflection on the History of Use of the Terms ‘Ethics’ and ‘Morals’ in Philosophy

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