Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Through the Looking Glass', 'The Philosophy of History' and 'Equality and Partiality'

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2 ideas

22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / a. Preconditions for ethics
Morality must be motivating, and not because of pre-moral motives [Nagel]
     Full Idea: My own view is that moral justification must be capable of motivating, but not in virtue of reliance on pre-moral motives.
     From: Thomas Nagel (Equality and Partiality [1991], Ch.5)
     A reaction: This may well be the core and essence of Kantian moral theory. I'm inclined to think of it as 'Kant's dream', which is of ultra-rational beings who are driven by pure rationality as a motivator. People who fit this bill tend to be academics.
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature
Man is God if he raises himself, by denying his nature and finitude [Hegel]
     Full Idea: Man is only God in so far as he negates the natural existence and finitude of his spirit and raises himself to God.
     From: Georg W.F.Hegel (The Philosophy of History [1840], p.324), quoted by Stephen Houlgate - An Introduction to Hegel 10 'God'
     A reaction: I suspect that it was ideas like this which motivated Nietzsche - denial of what we are, in the name of some idle daydream. I personally have no idea how to negate my natural existence or my finitude.