Goodness and Tradition

Abstract

This book investigates the importance of spirituality in moral life. The author claims that modern secular morality suffers from a lack of spirituality and argues that a solution to this problem can be found in tradition. Over several centuries, a process of secularization has loosened both the hold and the appeal of religion in the West. Morality did not dissipate, as many feared it would. This book is motivated by the idea that, nevertheless, something important was lost along the way. Arguing that a lack of spirituality has weakened secular moral life, the author seeks to identify an alternative source of spirituality that is not divine or supernatural. To this end, she considers three perspectives that offer potential sources of secular spirituality: Aristotelian humanism, which emphasizes nature; existentialist humanism, which emphasizes freedom and choice; and Confucian humanism, which emphasizes rituals. The author ultimately defends the view that traditions are intrinsically good as creations that elevate human nature through their customs, practices, and institutions. Further, she argues that the initiation into tradition is necessary to bring a person into the “space of reasons,” which encompasses both moral and non-moral values. In consequence, traditions are appropriate objects of existential gratitude, which some theists hold to be the foundation of religious experience. Thus, it is possible to infuse secular moral life with spirituality by reawakening a love for the traditions in which it is already embedded. Goodness and Tradition will appeal to scholars and graduate students in ethics, metaethics, and moral psychology who are interested in questions of moral motivation and experience. It will also appeal to those who are interested in the role of religion in moral life, as well as philosophers who are interested in comparative approaches to Western and Chinese thought.