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Home > The structure of a moral code; a philosophical analysis of ethical discourse applied to the ethics of the Navaho Indians

The structure of a moral code; a philosophical analysis of ethical discourse applied to the ethics of the Navaho Indians


Book Informaton

The structure of a moral code; a philosophical analysis of ethical discourse applied to the ethics of the Navaho Indians

Author

John Ladd

Year of Publication

1957

Publisher

Harvard University Press

City of Publication

Cambridge

Pages

474

Language

en

ARI Id

1671991685524


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Showing 1 to 16 of 16 entries
Chapters/HeadingsAuthor(s)PagesInfo
I. The aims and methods of descriptive ethics: I. Ideology and discourse: The ideological character of a moral code; The behavioristic approach; Inferred beliefs; The mentalistic approach; The use of "statement" and other terms; Objections; Descriptive ethics and descriptive linguistics
II. The method of hypothetical reconstruction: Meta-theories: Levels of discourse; Kinds of meta-discourse. Hypotheses in descriptive ethics: Criteria of a good hypothesis; The method of reconstruction. Natural and artificial ethical systems; Theoretical models: Artificial ethical systems as models; Theoretical status of these models. The method of Verstehen
III. Scrutiny of definitions of "ethics" (I): The problem; Requirements of a satisfactory definition: Explication; Justification and explanation; Justification by explanation. Durkheim on the authority of morality; Sanctions as a criterion of moral facts: The ethical meaning of "sanction"; Other meanings; Consequences anticipated by the agent; Mechanisms of control known mostly to the observer; Arguments against using sanctions as a criterion
IV. Scrutiny of definitions of "ethics" (II): Moral facts vs. values in general; Approbation as a criterion of moral facts: Moral approval and disapproval; Prescriptive and evaluative aspects of moral judgments; Spectator and agent ethics. Other criteria: The intuitive approach; The identification of ethical discourses in terms of content; The linguistic approach; The criteria offered by Duncan-Jones. Theoretical unsatisfactoriness of all these criteria
V. The definition in terms of moral prescriptions: Moral discourse in general; Prescriptions: "Oughtness"; Explication of "prescription"; The acceptance of a prescription; The acceptance vs. the fulfillment of a prescription; Linguistic analyses; Prescriptions vs. commands; Objections. The superiority of moral prescriptions: Autonomy; Priority. The legitimacy of moral prescriptions; Clues for the identification of ethical discourse. II. The structure of ethical discourse: VI. Components of a prescription: prescriptive qualities: Logical analyses of prescriptive statements: Imperatives and prescriptions; Kinds of negation; Immediate logical relations. Positive and negative prescriptive qualities: The notion of nonperformance; Differences between injunctions and prohibitions; Directive and constraining qualities. Degrees of stringency: Moral injunctions, counsels, prohibitions, and discounsels; Immediate inferences
VII. Components of a prescription: prescripta: The factors designating a prescriptum: Agents; Acts; Categorizing acts; Patients; Circumstances. General and particular prescriptions; Moral rules and moral principles
VIII. The logic of ethical discourse: validation: Validation in general: Validation and justification; Logical form of validation; Schematic ethical syllogism; The notion of "basic prescription". Modes of validation: Extreme particularism; The mode of selection; Finding and making the law; The mode of application; The mode of interpretation; Identifying characteristics of the various modes
IX. The rhetoric of ethical discourse: justification: Ethical argumentation in general; Description of basic prescriptions: Ground-motives; Classification of basic prescriptions and ground-motives; Philosophical explanations of the ground-motives; Derivation of prescriptions of varying stringency. The vindication of basic prescriptions; Ethical competence: Competence in general; Ethical competence; Criteria of ethical competence; Authoritarianism. III. A systematic reconstruction of Navaho ethics: X. The application of the general theory: The formulation of hypotheses; The thinker and the man of action; Field work with the Navahos: December-January, 1951-52: The Navaho moralist: Bidaga; Other sources. Navaho ethics vs. the ethics of a Navaho; Some practical difficulties in field work
XI. Navaho ethics in general: Non-literate rationalism; Esoteric knowledge; The Navaho philosophy of life: General existential beliefs; Practical concerns; Navaho materialism and individualism: the concept of property; Property and sex. An hypothesis about Navaho ethics: The identification of moral prescriptions; Contexts in which moral discourse is assumed to appear; Navaho prudentialism. Samples of ethical discourse: Father's teaching; Talks at weddings; Descriptions of the good and bad man
XII. Beliefs about man and the world: Exoteric beliefs: Friendly and unfriendly powers; Special kinds of beings. Reconstruction of Navaho categories of explanation: Mechanism; Temporal and spatial aspects of causality; The principle of general effects; The principle of many reasons; Some causal laws
XIII. The data: negative prescriptions: The classification of prescriptions: Navaho ethical expressions; Types of negative prescriptions. Taboos: "That's Bahadzid": Taboos in general; Specific taboos; The theoretical significance of taboos. Social prohibitions: "That will put you into trouble": Social prohibitions in general; Specific social prohibitions. Social interdictions: "People will talk about you and laugh at you": Social interdictions in general; Specific social interdictions; Relationship of social interdictions to other moral prescriptions
XIV. The data: positive prescriptions: Rectification: "Straightening things out": Restoration and the theory of curing; Specific accounts of "straightening out troubles". Personal prescriptions: "Care for yourself": Specific personal prohibitions; Special personal injunctions. Social injunctions: "Take care of others": Special social injunctions; Moral counsels; Explanation of the varying stringency of prescriptions. Traditional practices: "That's just the way they do that"; General remarks on the data: Prescriptions and actual behavior; Summary of ethical statements; Two methodological problems
XV. The structure of the reconstructed code: Outline of procedure; Taking the informant's reasons seriously; Nonauthoritarianism: The relation of the Holy People to morality; The appeal to tradition. Ethical competence and Navaho moral psychology: The distribution and conditions of ethical competence; Virtue is knowledge; Character and responsibility. Mode of validation: application
XVI. The content of the reconstructed code: Hypothetical reconstruction of the basic prescription: Division into two theses; Derivation of ethical statements given as data; Methods of testing hypothesis. The teleological thesis: Evidence which would falsify this thesis; Probing with Western formalistic principles; Justice; Residual categories: possible nonteleological principles. The egoistic thesis: Definition of "atomic egoism"; Specific tests of this thesis; Possible difficulties
XVII. Moral goals and moral ideals: The goals of morality: Explicit statements of these goals; Reconstructive analysis; Speculations on the negativity of Navaho ethics; Kluckhohn's conception of "harmony". Egoism and altruism: The derivation of altruistic prescriptions; The evaluation of actions. Comparison of the reconstructed code with western egoistic ethics: Epicurus; Hobbes; Spinoza; Basic dissimilarities
XVIII. Conclusion: Appraisal of the hypothesis: Reliability of the data; The adequacy of the hypothesis; Other possible approaches; Comparison with Brandt's procedures. The function of a moral code: For the individual; For society. Determinants of the content of a moral code; Descriptive relativism: Causal dependence and descriptive relativism; Universals. Normative relativism: The argumentum ex consensu and ex dissensu gentium; The recognition of relativity in normative ethics. Relevance of descriptive ethics to philosophical ethics: Normative ethics; Theoretical ethics. The role of the moralist
Chapters/HeadingsAuthor(s)PagesInfo
Showing 1 to 16 of 16 entries