Wittgenstein and the Metaphysics of Ethical Value

Ethic@ - An International Journal for Moral Philosophy 5 (1):91-102 (2006)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

This paper develops Wittgenstein’s view of how experiences of ethical value contribute to our understanding of the world. Such experiences occur when we perceive certain intrinsic attributes of a particular being, object, or location as valuable irrespective of any concern for personal gain. It is shown that experiences of ethical value essentially involve a characteristic ‘listening’ to the ongoing transformations and actualizations of a given form of life—literally or metaphorically speaking. Such immediate impressions of spontaneous sympathy and agreement reveal ethics and aesthetics as transcendental. Ultimately, I will attempt to show that from this point of view, forms of life are transcendental determinants of meaning and, as such, the principal objects of ethical value. Descriptive ontological grounding is thereby provided for the ethical value of species, languages, and cultures

Links

PhilArchive

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Analytics

Added to PP
2014-01-18

Downloads
302 (#61,170)

6 months
123 (#24,718)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Julian Friedland
Metropolitan State University of Denver

Citations of this work

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references