Morality and Situation Ethics
Reading Group
June 2, 9, 16, 23
A four-week reading group through Morality and Situation Ethics with with Jason Bell.
The group will meet over Zoom on Tuesdays in June (June 2, 9, 16, 23) from 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST.
About the Text
Is morality relative? Does it depend on one’s perspective or on external circumstances?
It has become popular, even commonplace, to assert that what is moral is dependent on one’s situation. Dietrich von Hildebrand saw this trend coming, and at the earliest outset he authored this book as a refutation of “situation ethics” and an affirmation of the unchanging and universal call of true morality.
The book takes up the central challenge of situation ethics to argue, definitively, that some actions are always and in every situation wrong. But Hildebrand is sensitive to the special circumstances of individual people’s lives, and he does far more than simply offer judgment. He leads us first to understand the allure of “self-righteousness,” of “the tragic sinner,” and of “sin mysticism,” and how these can obscure true morality.
Format
The meeting will be conducted live in Zoom. Links for the session will be sent out ahead of time.
To allow for rich discussion, the group is limited in size to a maximum of 20 participants. Once the group is full, additional registrations will be placed on a waitlist.
All participants are expected to have a copy of the text and to come prepared to each session having done the weekly reading (15-45 pages per week). The weekly reading schedule will be emailed to you.
Moderator
Jason Bell is associate professor of philosophy at the University of New Brunswick. He has taught in the graduate program at the Higher Institute of Philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium and at Mount Allison University in Canada, and has served at the University of Göttingen as Fulbright Professor, as scholar-in-residence at Boston University, as Onderzoeksfonds Research Fellow at the Husserl Archives, and as d’Alzon Fellow at Assumption University. He was awarded the doctorate in philosophy at Vanderbilt University. His research focuses on ethics and the relation of American and European philosophy.
Costs
Reading groups are free to attend.
If you are able, we invite you to make a donation to help defray the costs of organizing (reading groups cost the Hildebrand Project ~$900 for a four-week group). We are committed to making reading groups accessible to all; therefore, participation is not contingent on a donation.
Your gift support this reading group, our publications, web resources, and other events, all of which contribute to bringing the vital, life-giving witness of personalist philosophy into new and uncertain times.
Level:
Suitable for intermediate to advanced: primarily discussion.
Time:
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
Reading:
forthcoming
June 2 — 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm EST