Western philosophy since the Enlightenment has had little to say about everyday ethical problems, whereas modern anthropology has simply accepted culture as the source of people's ethical beliefs. In this engaging book, Samuel Fleischacker explores episodes of moral crisis from Hitler's Holocaust to Pol Pot's killing fields to Khomeini's death sentence on Salman Rushdie. As he integrates the perspectives of philosophy and anthropology, Fleischacker demonstrates that the concept of culture must now play a major role in ethics. Fleischacker addresses the dangers of seeking ethical understanding across cultures - that we may either impose our own values on others or abandon all norms to relativism. Drawing in particular on the Jewish tradition, he sees the unique and powerful stories that each culture tells as crucial to ethical practice, and suggests that neither tradition nor authority is antagonistic to freedom. For Fleischacker, every culture is an authoritative moral tradition, although all traditions are not equally successful in promoting the happiness and freedom of the people who inherit them. If we view different cultural traditions as aiming at the same ultimate goal, then we can realistically promote ethical dialogue across cultures, as well as dissent within them. . Fleischacker pays particular attention to the paradox of our Western liberal heritage that claims to reject tradition and authority as inherently oppressive, while adopting at least a veneer of respect for all cultures other than its own. Like all cultures, he cautions, ours will always need a tradition that provides a foundation for moral judgment.We who espouse modern science still have reason to raise our children on the tradition of stories and ideals that accompanies modernity - not because it is the best tradition, but because it is our own.
Setting / LocationGlobal
Story EraModern Era
Protagonist / CoreThe ethics of culture Lead Character
"What motivates violence? How can good and compassionate people hurt and kill others, or themselves? Why are people much more likely to kill or assault people they know well, rather than strangers? This provocative and radical book shows that people mostly commit violence because they genuinely feel that it is the morally right thing to do. In perpetrators' minds, violence may be the morally necessary and proper way to regulate social relationships according to cultural precepts, precedents and prototypes. These moral motivations apply equally to the violence of the heroes of the Iliad, to parents smacking their child, and many modern murders and everyday acts of violence. Virtuous Violence presents a wide-ranging exploration of violence across different cultures and historical eras, demonstrating how people feel obligated to violently create, sustain, end, and honor social relationships in order to make them right, according to morally motivated cultural ideals"--
"In The Human Factor, Kim Vicente coined the term 'Human-tech' to describe a more encompassing and ambitious approach to the study of Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) than is now evident in any of its participating disciplines, such as human factors, human-computer interaction, cognitive science and engineering, industrial design, informatics or applied psychology. Observing that the way forward is 'not by widgets alone,' Vicente's Human-tech approach addresses every level--physical, psychological, team, organizational, and political--at which technology impacts quality of life, identifies a human or societal need, and then tailors technology to what we know about human nature at that level. The Human Factor was written for a broad audience, in part to educate general readers beyond the HTI community about the need to think seriously about the tremendous impact that poorly designed technology can have, ranging from user frustration to the tragic loss of human life. The articles collected in this book provide much of the technical material behind the work that was presented in The Human Factor, and the commentaries by Alex Kirlik situate these articles in their broader historical, scientific and ethical context. This collection of articles and commentaries forms a set of recommendations for how HTI research ought to broaden both its perspective and its practical, even ethical, aspirations to meet the increasingly complicated challenges of designing technology to support human work, to improve quality of life, and to design the way will live with technology. As the first book both to integrate the theory and research underlying Human-tech, and to clearly delineate the scientific challenges and ethical responsibilities that await those who either design technology for human use, or design technology that influences or even structures the working or daily lives of others, Human-tech: Ethical and Scientific Foundations will appeal to the broad range of students and scholars in all of the HTI disciplines"--Provided by publisher. "In The Human Factor, Kim Vicente coined the term 'Human-tech' to describe a more encompassing approach to the study of Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) than now exists in any of its participating disciplines, such as human factors, human-computer interaction, cognitive science and engineering, industrial design, informatics or applied psychology. Vicente's Human-tech approach addresses every level--physical, psychological, team, organizational, and political--at which technology impacts quality of life, identifies a human or societal need, and then tailors technology to what we know about human nature at that level. The articles collected in this book provide the technical foundation for the work presented in The Human Factor, and the commentaries by Alex Kirlik situate the articles in their broader scientific and ethical context. As the first book to integrate the research underlying Human-tech, and to describe the scientific challenges and ethical responsibilities that await those who design technology for people, Human-tech: Ethical and Scientific Foundations will appeal to students and scholars in all HTI disciplines"--Provided by publisher.
"What is the true source of authentic power? Offering a detour from the dead end of this "buy more, be more" culture, the authors demonstrate why the traditional routes to power are accessible only for an elite few. Wrapping warm, profound stories of empowerment around an extensive body of research, Road Map to Power is your guide to a life of dignity, satisfaction, and happiness."--Back cover.
Do we complain when a sewer stinks? In the same manner people who are disagreeable and negative are like the sewers. Whatever smells unpleasant, we call it a sewer and whatever smells pleasant we call it a flower. Adjust to both. Both situations are telling you, 'Become Vitraag (beyond attachment and abhorrence or detached) with us.' We all have adjusted to disagreeable circumstances many times in our lives. For instance, we use an umbrella when it rains. We do not question, argue or resist rain. Likewise, whether we enjoy studying or not, we have to adjust and study. However, when it comes to disagreeable people, we somehow tend not to just question, argue and resist, often we end up in a conflict. Why is this so? Param Pujya Dadashri (master of spiritual science) has revealed 'ADJUST EVERYWHERE' as the ultimate understanding to help cope with constantly changing circumstances and preventing conflicts resulting to peace and happiness. This simple yet powerful phrase has the power to change your life,… read on to learn how.
The ethics of culture by Samuel Fleischacker | Literally Just Books
