Abstract

THE PROBLEM OF EUDAIMONISM AND APPLIED ETHICS IN THE LIGHT OF THE THEORY OF CULTURE This paper is situated within some contemporary debates over the problem of the gap between professional ethical reflection and moral practice. Starting with J. Habermas’ thesis about the deficiency of communication between expert cultures and the world of everyday life, and J. Kmita’s culture-theoretical analysis of the process of liberation of the worldview from practical spheres of culture, the author explicates the problem of a discrepancy between the universal claims of normative ethics and the individualistic perspective of eudaimonism. On the basis of Birnbacher’s considerations, the author introduces the concept of “applied ethics” which reconciles both normative and eudaimonistic approaches. Keywords: CULTURE, THEORY OF CULTURE, PROFESSIONAL ETHICS, APPLIED ETHICS, WORLDVIEW, EUDEMONISM, NORMATIVISM