Virtue in Political Life: Yves Simon's Political Philosophy for Our Times

Description

Yves R. Simon (1903-1961), one of the greatest contemporary philosophers, gives a modern formulation for many classical philosophical concepts such as authority, the common good, and natural law. These topics have received extensive attention from scholars. Simon also discusses the nature of human virtue, moral and intellectual, but this topic has been less studied until now. The idea of virtue, and in our case virtue in political life, runs through Simon’s works. Through a close study of Simon’s works and the relevant secondary literature, this book explores Simon’s definition of virtue in order to highlight its originality, and show how he weaves the need for it into the fabric of three facets of political life, namely, the common good, the virtue of the ruler and the ruled, and the law. These ideas are important for the ruler-ship of any country and especially of developing nations which are populated by sit-tight dictators. Philosophy can be dry and abstract, yet in this case we deal with one of its more practical manifestations. Cover Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Preface Chapter 1 - The Definition of Moral Virtue I: Modern Substitutes for Virtue and their Inadequacy The Recourse to Natural Goodness Social Engineering Psycho-Technology II: Towards a Definition of Virtue Problems of Translation Regarding Hexis Virtue is not Habit Virtue is not Grounded in Opinion Virtue is not Science III: Understanding Aristotle’s Definition of Virtue Distinguishing Virtue from a False Intention and from Vice The Intellectual and Moral Virtues in Practice The Interdependence of the Virtues: The Aristotelian and Stoic Positions The Definition of Moral Virtue Knowledge of Moral Axioms through Instinct Chapter 2: Virtue in Public Life: Simon’s Concept of the Common Good I: Brief Historical Overview Introduction The Birth and Evolution of the Concept: Ancient Greek Philosophy to Medieval Times The State of the Concept in Modern and Contemporary Thought II: The Threefold Classificatory Scheme of Virginia Held as Outlined in the Public Interest and Individual Interests and her Concept of the Public Interest Preliminary Considerations The “Preponderance Theories” of Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, and Jeremy Bentham The “Public Interest as Common Interest” Theory The “Unitary Conception” Virginia Held’s Proposed Constituent Elements of the Common Good III: Simon’s Concept of the Common Good Two Misconceptions of the Common Good Simon’s Concept of the Common Good Drawing the Threads Together Chapter 3: Virtue in Public Life: The Virtue of Theoretical Truth and the Virtue of the Ruler and the Ruled Introduction I: The Virtue of Theoretical Truth The Truth Value of Witness The Truth Value of Science The Truth Value of Creative Freedom Freedom of the Intellect: The Trouble with the Position of the Liberals Truth and the Market Place of Ideas The Role of Authority in Teaching Transcendent Truth II: The Virtue of the Ruler and the Ruled Rule by the Virtuous Rule by the Experts or by an Elite Freedom from Self: Obedience as Perfective Chapter 4: Virtue In Public Life: Virtue and Law Introduction I: Virtue and the Idea of Natural Law and Philosophical Challenges to the Idea The Idea of Natural Law Philosophical Challenges to the Idea of Natural Law II: Virtue and Facets of Positive Law and Natural Law On the Existence of the Just by Nature On Knowledge of Natural Moral Law On Law as Premise and Conclusion: The Role of Virtue On God as the Author of Natural Law and Natural Moral Law Conclusion Bibliography Back cover