| ashu |
Posted
on 10-Feb-03 07:06 AM
How do emotions lead to moral behaviour?
Philosopher Avishai Margalit attempts an answer.
For the complete book review (free registration required):
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/09/books/review/09LEARLT.html?pagewanted=print&position=top
An EXTRACT:
"However, he continues, we nevertheless do have a duty to forgive those who have harmed us. But our duty is not to them; it is to ourselves: ''This duty stems from not wanting to live with feelings of resentment and the desire for revenge. Those are poisonous attitudes and states of mind.'' Thus we ought to forgive others, but for our own sake. Here the ethical norm -- the ''ought'' in ''you ought to forgive'' -- flows not from rationality or irrationality, as in the previous example, but from our commitment to our own well-being. That is, we are going to lead less happy, less rich lives ourselves if we are dominated by negative moral emotions.
. . . that questions of humiliation, resentment and forgiveness essentially involve taking responsibility for one's own life and for how one wants to be.
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oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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