false 2737476 0151011974 9780151011971 60 30 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2737476.Moral_Clarity_A_Guide_for_Grown_Up_Idealists 93828 Susan Neiman 99 36 4 3 false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 11:42:52 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 12:20:35 -0700 2008
The moral absolutes of religion have lost their influence. Relativism holds that one view is as good as another, and thus none has any special claim. Realism, as in Realpolitik, holds that we have to deal with the world as it is, rather than as we would wish it to be. Against this, Neiman argues that "the world can be improved by means of ideals expressing states of reality that are better than the ones we currently experience."

In concrete terms, she argues for specific moral values, such as reason, reverence and hope, and she describes individuals who have acted inspite of the ambiguities of the age, such as a man leading joint projects of Palestinians and Israelis on the West Bank, and a woman working to rectify the war damage to civilians in Afghanistan. The arguments are persuasive and the examples are inspiring.

]]>