Towards a Sociological turn in Contextualist Moral Philosophy

Author: Van Der Stoep J.¹

Source: Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Volume 7, Number 2, April 2004 , pp. 133-146(14)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Contextualist moral philosophers criticise hands-off liberal theories of justice for abstracting from the cultural context in which people make choices. Will Kymlicka and Joseph Carens, for example, demonstrate that these theories are disadvantageous to cultural minorities who want to pursue their own way of life. I argue that Pierre Bourdieu's critique of moral reason radicalises contextualist moral philosophy by giving it a sociological turn. In Bourdieu's view it is not enough to provide marginalised groups or subgroups with equal access to public institutions and specific cultural rights—in some cases this may in fact be detrimental. He contends that scientists, politicians and other intellectuals have a duty to take seriously the social presuppositions of free deliberate choice and public opinion and to support cultural minorities with instruments to liberate themselves from their often precarious situation.

Keywords: class; contextualist ethics; cultural minorities; equality; ethos; group-differentiated rights; moral philosophy; Pierre Bourdieu; public sphere; social science

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1023/B:ETTA.0000032756.53525.55

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Philosophy, Free University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Email: j.van.der.stoep@ph.vu.nl

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