Strong evaluation without moral sources
Subtitle: on Charles Taylor's philosophical anthropology and ethics
By: by Arto Laitinen.
Series: Quellen und Studien zur Philosophie -- Bd. 86
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Berlin; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 385
ISBN-13: 9783110204049
Subjects: Taylor, Charles, -- 1931-; Taylor, Charles, -- 1931- -- Ethics.; Ethics -- History -- 20th century.; Philosophical anthropology -- History -- 20th century.; Values.
Other titles: Charles Taylor's philosophical anthropology and ethics
Description: "Charles Taylor (1931- ) is one of the leading living philosophers. This is the first extended study on the key notions of his views in philosophical anthropology and ethical theory. Firstly, Arto Laitinen clarifies, qualifies and defends Taylor's thesis that transcendental arguments show that personal understandings concerning ethical and other values (so called "strong evaluation") is necessary, in different ways, for human agency, selfhood, identity and personhood. Secondly, Laitinen defends and develops in various ways Taylor's value realism. Finally, the book criticizes Taylor's view that it is necessary to identify and locate a constitutive source of value, such as God, Nature or Human Reason. Taylor relies heavily on this claim in his accounts of moral life, modern identity and, most recently, secularisation. Laitinen argues that the whole notion of constitutive moral source should be dropped Taylor's views concerning strong evaluation and value realism are distorted by the question of constitutive "moral sources"."--Jacket.
Notes: Revised version of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--Jyväskylä University, 2003.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [363]-382) and index.