Combining Philosophers

All the ideas for Herodotus, Charles Taylor and Alexis de Tocqueville

expand these ideas     |    start again     |     specify just one area for these philosophers


33 ideas

16. Persons / A. Concept of a Person / 4. Persons as Agents
The modern self has disengaged reason, self-exploration, and personal commitment [Taylor,C]
16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 2. Ethical Self
My aim is to map the connections between our sense of self and our moral understanding [Taylor,C]
16. Persons / E. Rejecting the Self / 3. Narrative Self
I can only be aware of myself as a person who changes by means of my personal history [Taylor,C]
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / b. Defining ethics
Selfhood and moral values are inextricably intertwined [Taylor,C]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / e. Honour
Willingness to risk life was the constitutive quality of the man of honour [Taylor,C]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / h. Respect
To have respect for people, you must feel their claims, or their injustices, or hold them in awe [Taylor,C]
23. Ethics / D. Deontological Ethics / 4. Categorical Imperative
Consistency presupposes intrinsic description [Taylor,C]
23. Ethics / E. Utilitarianism / 1. Utilitarianism
In later utilitarianism the modern stress on freedom leads to the rejection of paternalism [Taylor,C]
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / b. The natural life
Wherever there is a small community, the association of the people is natural [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 1. A People / c. A unified people
The people are just individuals, and only present themselves as united to foreigners [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 2. Population / b. State population
Vast empires are bad for well-being and freedom, though they may promote glory [Tocqueville]
People would be much happier and freer in small nations [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 2. State Legitimacy / c. Social contract
The social contract sees society as constituted by and for individuals [Taylor,C]
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 3. Constitutions
In American judges rule according to the Constitution, not the law [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / b. Monarchy
A monarchical family is always deeply concerned with the interests of the state [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / c. Despotism
Despots like to see their own regulations ignored, by themselves and their agents [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / d. Elites
Aristocracy is constituted by inherited landed property [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 4. Changing the State / a. Centralisation
In Europe it is thought that local government is best handled centrally [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / b. Consultation
An election, and its lead up time, are always a national crisis [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / d. Representative democracy
Universal suffrage is no guarantee of wise choices [Tocqueville]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / a. Communitarianism
Assigning a right based on a human capacity implies that the capacity should be developed [Taylor,C]
If freedom depends on society and culture, the greatest freedom is in shaping them [Taylor,C]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / b. Against communitarianism
Our reliance on other people close to us does not imply any political obligations [Taylor,C]
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 1. Slavery
Slavery undermines the morals and energy of a society [Tocqueville]
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 3. Free speech
The liberty of the press is more valuable for what it prevents than what it promotes [Tocqueville]
25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 1. Grounds of equality
It is admirable to elevate the humble to the level of the great, but the opposite is depraved [Tocqueville]
25. Social Practice / B. Equalities / 2. Political equality
Equality can only be established by equal rights for all (or no rights for anyone) [Tocqueville]
25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 1. Basis of Rights
For most people the primacy of rights mainly concerns freedom [Taylor,C]
A right is not just a rule, but also asserts certain ideas of moral worth [Taylor,C]
25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 4. Property rights
Property is not essential for life, but it may be essential for independence [Taylor,C]
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 3. Welfare provision
If the state is neutral, there won't be sufficient community to support a welfare state [Taylor,C, by Kymlicka]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / d. God decrees morality
Nominalists defended the sovereignty of God against the idea of natural existing good and evil [Taylor,C]
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / a. Immortality
The Egyptians were the first to say the soul is immortal and reincarnated [Herodotus]