{"product_id":"the-moral-fool-a-case-for-amorality-9780231145091","title":"The Moral Fool: A Case for Amorality","description":"\u003cp\u003eJustice, equality, and righteousness--these are some of our greatest moral convictions. Yet in times of social conflict, morals can become rigid, making religious war, ethnic cleansing, and political purges possible. Morality, therefore, can be viewed as pathology-a rhetorical, psychological, and social tool that is used and abused as a weapon. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn expert on Eastern philosophies and social systems theory, Hans-Georg Moeller questions the perceived goodness of morality and those who claim morality is inherently positive. Critiquing the ethical \"fanaticism\" of Western moralists, such as Immanuel Kant, Lawrence Kohlberg, John Rawls, and the utilitarians, Moeller points to the absurd fundamentalisms and impracticable prescriptions arising from definitions of good. Instead he advances a theory of \"moral foolishness,\" or moral asceticism, extracted from the \"amoral\" philosophers of East Asia and such thinkers as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Niklas Luhmann. The moral fool doesn't understand why ethics are necessarily good, and he isn't convinced that the moral perspective is always positive. In this way he is like most people, and Moeller defends this foolishness against ethical pathologies that support the death penalty, just wars, and even Jerry Springer's crude moral theater. Comparing and contrasting the religious philosophies of Christianity, Daoism, and Zen Buddhism, Moeller presents a persuasive argument in favor of amorality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHans-Georg Moeller is senior lecturer in the Philosophy Department at University College Cork, Ireland. His publications on Daoism and social systems theory include \u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e Outstanding Academic Title \u003ci\u003eThe Philosophy of the Daodejing\u003c\/i\u003e as well as a translation of the \u003ci\u003eDaodejing\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDaoism Explained: From the Dream of the Butterfly to the Fishnet Allegory\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLuhmann Explained: From Souls to Systems\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50844163113234,"sku":"9780231145091","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_162ef694-1ed1-4c1d-8245-87b5e88ffef2.jpg?v=1737312922","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-moral-fool-a-case-for-amorality-9780231145091","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}