Abstract

The chapter describes the three religions of humanity, of Rousseau, Kant and Comte, to which Nussbaum refers in her book Political Emotions and which she hopes to revitalize. These three religions can be compared to the contemplative morality of Aristotle, which concerns the well-being of the citizens at which legislation and education are aimed.Aristotle, however, pays greater attention to the civic morality of the enforcement of law than to the contemplative morality. From Aristotle’s model of rationality it can be concluded that much interpretation has to be done to conclude that a conflict can be narrowed down to a decision about the application of a specific rule. This interpretation requires extensive institutional arrangements, regulated by a judicial procedure. Only when such a judicial procedure is in place there can be political organization and a debate about the good and the bad in actual practice.Enlightenment generated a different model of rationality and transformed the state by taking technical practice as a model for political organization. It recognized contemplative morality only and downgraded civic morality to obedience to rules. In this way Enlightenment thinking endangers social coherence and political debate.