Description:
What fundamentally drives human beings to strive for moral perfection? Is it care of the self? Is it care for others? Is it inextricably wedded to politics? Moral Engines includes some of the foremost voices in the anthropology of morality, representing a unique interdisciplinary conversation between anthropologists and philosophers about the moral engines of ethical life.
Brief description:
Maria Louw is Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology, Aarhus University. She is the author of Everyday Islam in Post-Soviet Central Asia (Routledge 2007) and a number of other publications focusing on religion, secularism, atheism and morality in Central Asia.
Review Quotes:
"All the chapters show, in their own way, that philosophical anthropology offers a very sophisticated approach to understand how humans live... The dialogue between anthropology and philosophy that underlies this volume has clearly enriched the understanding of ethical drives in human life." - History of the Human Sciences
"Overall the text offers an insightful interdisciplinary discussion on the topics of morality and ethics, albeit a conflicted title and theme as is made evident by many of the authors' concerns with the idea and term 'moral engines' throughout the volume. A fascinating read for those interested in the in the field regardless of what side of the fence one sits." - Irish Journal of Anthropology
"This is an excellent collection of essays that contributes to the growing anthropological literature on morality and ethics. It addresses the current debates in a new and useful way." - Johan Rasanayagam, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen
"This stimulating volume suggests a new metaphor to reshape this central question to moral theory within an anthropological perspective." - Samuel Leze, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon