Moral Clarity: A Guide for Grown-up Idealists [Hardcover]

Deep and important. . . . Neiman's particular skill lies in expressing sensitivity, intelligence and moral seriousness without any hint of oversimplification, dogmatism or misplaced piety. She clearly and unflinchingly sees life as it is, but also sees how it might be, and could be, if we recaptured some of the hopes and ideals that currently escape us. -- Simon Blackburn, New York Times

The problem with our liberal elites, [Neiman] insists, is lame metaphysics--a lack of philosophical nerve. . . . Neiman is a subtle and energetic guide . . . [who] writes with verve and sometimes epigrammatic wit. -- Gary Rosen, Wall Street Journal

Susan Neiman is a masterly storyteller. . . . [Her] retellings of the Odyssey and the Book of Job . . . are themselves worth the price of admission. -- K. Anthony Appiah, Slate

[Moral Clarity] is concerned with the task of making philosophy timely and accessible again. . . . [A] lucid and impassioned study. -- Richard Wolin, Dissent --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

‘fresh and exhilarating, inspiring optimism rather than recrimination…a rallying cry to return to Enlightenment values – not as heritage kitsch but as a process we are still undergoing, a demand we have yet to answer.’ - The Guardian, Jane O’Grady --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Distinguished scholar, Susan Neiman, argues for a commitment to a more just world that is rationally grounded, implacable and insatiable. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

For years, moral language has been the province of the Right, as the Left has consoled itself with rudderless pragmatism. In this profound and powerful book, Susan Neiman reclaims the vocabulary of morality--good and evil, heroism and nobility--as a lingua franca for the twenty-first century. In constructing a framework for taking responsible action on today's urgent questions, Neiman reaches back to the eighteenth century, retrieving a series of values--happiness, reason, reverence, and hope--held high by Enlightenment thinkers. In this thoroughly updated edition, Neiman reflects on how the moral language of the 2008 presidential campaign has opened up new political and cultural possibilities in America and beyond.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Susan Neiman is one of the most distinguished scholars writing today. Her previous book, Evil in Modern Thought, has been widely hailed as a classic. She is a moral philosopher committed to making the tools of her trade relevant to real life. In Moral Clarity, she shows how the resources of the eighteenth century Enlightenment can help us to reconstruct a progressive politics that does not repeat the mistakes of Marxism or succumb to the appeal of unreason. Against a background of books that have sought to call a halt to the very idea of the left, Neiman argues for a commitment to a more just world that is rationally grounded, implacable and insatiable. In her commitment to reason and the facts of the world, in her brilliant readings of the Western canon, and above all in her fierce commitment to politics as a moral endeavour, Neiman makes it possible to believe that the Enlightenment is not yet exhausted and that we are free to join it if we wish. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

"Susan Neiman's profound wisdom, courage and vision . . . [make her] a beacon of light and hope in our morally debased times."--Cornel West

"Morally and politically compelling--and a delight to read."--Michael Walzer

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Susan Neiman is Director of the Einstein Forum. She is the author of "Slow Fire: Jewish Notes from Berlin", "The Unity of Reason: Rereading Kant", and "Evil in Modern Thought" (Princeton). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.