Abstract
The main argument of this study concerns the central relation between
anthropology, poetics and ethics. It is the ontological problem – which can easily
be summarized by the question “who is this Being for whom being is in question”
– that silently binds these sections together. What “we are” does not tell us
“what we ought to do or not do” (unless our ideology is socio- or
neurobiologically determined); prescriptive rules do not follow from descriptive
insights. This makes the relation between anthropology and ethics a precarious
one. It is in the poetic response to the aporetics of being that the ethical position
can be co-clarified: the good life must be imagined before it can be lived. Here,
the biggest challenge lays in the simple counter-assertion that identity, and, thus,
narratives and ethics, do not matter because their aporetic status can never be
overcome and, therefore, we need to let go of their importance. Ricoeur’s
philosophy must be understood as an attempt to fundamentally dismiss this
assertion.
Original language | American English |
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Supervisors/Advisors |
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Award date | 3 Jul 2013 |
Print ISBNs | 978-90-9027658-8 |
Electronic ISBNs | 978-90-9027658-8 |
Publication status | Published - 3 Jul 2013 |