Abstract
Although it is a dramatic question, Why should we be moral? is rarely posed sincerely by anyone except philosophers and impertinent children. It is, nonetheless, an absorbing question that continues to provoke skeptical intellects, lending itself to a variety of interesting interpretations and connecting with important issues about moral knowledge, moral motivation, and the just society. Moreover, in times of social and political disorder or unrest, it may express the urgent need of a novel morality to justify itself. We live today in a period marked by conspicuous attention to self-to self-interest, self-fulfillment, self-improvement. “Leave me alone!” seems to be the cry not only of businessmen, but also of parents and children, lovers and careerists. What is the significance of this phenomenon, if it is one? More important, are present conditions hostile to the claims of morality? Are we asking ourselves why we should be moral any more often (or any more seriously) than we have in the past?
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© 1981 The Hastings Center
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Lieberson, J. (1981). Why Should We be Moral?. In: Caplan, A.L., Callahan, D. (eds) Ethics in Hard Times. The Hastings Center Series in Ethics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4022-5_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4022-5_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-4024-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-4022-5
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