{"product_id":"the-moral-fool-hans-georg-moeller-9780231145091","title":"The Moral Fool: A Case for Amorality","description":"\u003cp\u003eJustice, equality, and righteousness--these are some of our greatest moral convictions. Yet in times of social conflict, morals can become rigid, making religious war, ethnic cleansing, and political purges possible. Morality, therefore, can be viewed as pathology-a rhetorical, psychological, and social tool that is used and abused as a weapon. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn expert on Eastern philosophies and social systems theory, Hans-Georg Moeller questions the perceived goodness of morality and those who claim morality is inherently positive. Critiquing the ethical \"fanaticism\" of Western moralists, such as Immanuel Kant, Lawrence Kohlberg, John Rawls, and the utilitarians, Moeller points to the absurd fundamentalisms and impracticable prescriptions arising from definitions of good. Instead he advances a theory of \"moral foolishness,\" or moral asceticism, extracted from the \"amoral\" philosophers of East Asia and such thinkers as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Niklas Luhmann. The moral fool doesn't understand why ethics are necessarily good, and he isn't convinced that the moral perspective is always positive. In this way he is like most people, and Moeller defends this foolishness against ethical pathologies that support the death penalty, just wars, and even Jerry Springer's crude moral theater. Comparing and contrasting the religious philosophies of Christianity, Daoism, and Zen Buddhism, Moeller presents a persuasive argument in favor of amorality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Hans-Georg Moeller\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0231145098\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780231145091\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/15\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.10h x 5.40w x 0.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2009 pg. 7\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/15\/2009 pg. 102\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2010","brand":"Hans-Georg Moeller","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43981516996863,"sku":"9780231145091","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_982fdba5-d070-4ad8-9bb5-c0b95f830eb3.jpg?v=1683256046","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-moral-fool-hans-georg-moeller-9780231145091","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}