Moral Sentiments in Modern Society

A New Answer to Classical Questions

Autor: van den Brink, Gabriël
Editor: Amsterdam University Press
ISBN: 9789089647757
eISBN Pdf: 9789048525706
Lloc de publicació: Amsterdam , Netherlands
Any de publicació digital: 2016
Mes: Febrer
Pàgines: 492
Idioma: Anglés

Descripció

Since the time of Adam Smith, scholars have tried to understand the role moral sentiments play in modern life, an issue that became especially urgent during and after the 2008 global financial crisis. Previous explanations have ranged from the idea that modern society is built on moral values to the notion that modernization results in moral decay. The essays in this interdisciplinary volume use the example of Dutch society and a wealth of empirical data to propose a novel theory about the ambivalent relation between contemporary life and human nature. In the process, the contributors argue for the need to reject simplistic explanations and reinvent civil society.

Cover
Table of Contents
Introduction
- Gabriël van den Brink
  - 1 Why this topic?
  - 2 Why the Netherlands?
  - 3 Why now?
  - 4 Personal motives
  - 5 Word of thanks
Part 1
- 1. Research questions and theoretical framework
  - Gabriël van den Brink
  - 1 The theory of moral sentiments
  - 2 Morality and society
  - 3 Will the real Adam Smith please stand up?
  - 4 On modernity and modernisation
  - 5 Three fault lines
  - 6 Theories and trends
  - 7 Degrees of modernity
  - 8 The tension between morality and modernity
  - 9 The moral effects of modernity
  - 10 What this book is about
- 2. An archaeology of altruistic behaviour
  - Gabriël van den Brink
  - 1 Insights from biology
  - 2 The transcendental order
  - 3 The uniqueness of Christianity?
  - 4 The beginning of the modern era
  - 5 The secularisation of society
  - 6 The moralisation of politics
  - 7 Solidarity at the local level
  - 8 Solidarity at the national level
  - 9 Solidarity at the global level
  - 10 Conclusions
Part 2
- 3. The Netherlands as a liquid society
  - Gabriël van den Brink
  - 1 Economic modernisation
  - 2 Political modernisation
  - 3 Cultural modernisation
  - 4 Higher expectations
  - 5 The erosion of institutional frameworks
  - 6 Rise in social mobility
  - 7 Family life
  - 8 Civic life
  - 9 Professional life
  - 10 Conclusions
- 4. The hardening of the social climate
  - Gabriël van den Brink
  - 1 Secularisation
  - 2 More sports
  - 3 Intense experiences
  - 4 More violence
  - 5 Greater visibility
  - 6 Moving in the wrong direction
  - 7 Decline in tolerance
  - 8 The immigrant problem
  - 9 Moral uncertainty
  - 10 Conclusions
Part 3
- 5. The truly important things in life
  - Paul Dekker, Erik van Ingen & Loek Halman
  - 1 Many deflective reactions
  - 2 Examples of views regarding ‘something higher’
  - 3 Four types of ideals
  - 4 The link to religion
  - 5 Forms of spirituality
  - 6 Social background
  - 7 Social involvement
  - 8 Motives for helping
  - 9 Characteristics of the volunteers
  - 10 Conclusions
- 6. Changes in norms and values
  - Erik van Ingen, Loek Halman & Paul Dekker
  - 1 Two dimensions of modernisation
  - 2 The Netherlands and Europe
  - 3 Changes in values at the individual level
  - 4 Hierarchy of values
  - 5 Values in private life
  - 6 Values of citizenship
  - 7 Decreasing tolerance
  - 8 Public morals stricter
  - 9 The significance of work
  - 10 Conclusions
Part 4
- 7. The role of ideals in professional life
  - Heleen van Luijn & Nicole Maalsté
  - 1 Integrity and openness
  - 2 Problems with the organisation
  - 3 Social commitment
  - 4 Companies in the private sector
  - 5 Social values on three levels
  - 6 Vitality and spirituality
  - 7 Forms of moral deliberation
  - 8 The mission statement
  - 9 Professional codes of conduct
  - 10 Conclusions
- 8. Moral imagination at work
  - Karen Woets & Heidi de Mare
  - 1 The status of fantasy novels
  - 2 Two (or more) imaginary worlds
  - 3 Personal relationships
  - 4 Morality and personal development
  - 5 The status of television series
  - 6 Visual qualities of the hospital drama
  - 7 Moments of empathy
  - 8 Visual qualities of police series
  - 9 The rule of law and self-sacrifice
  - 10 Conclusions
Part 5
- 9. Signs of moral resilience
  - Wieger Bakker, Gabriël van den Brink & Erik van Ingen
  - 1 Lasting religious interest
  - 2 The scale and trend in volunteering
  - 3 Mixed motives
  - 4 Types of development aid
  - 5 Changing images
  - 6 Caring for nature and the environment
  - 7 Social initiatives
  - 8 Rediscovering public values
  - 9 An old and modern phenomenon
  - 10 Conclusions
- 10. Europe and modern morality
  - Gabriël van den Brink
  - 1 Spirituality
  - 2 Belief in democracy
  - 3 Human dignity
  - 4 Social involvement
  - 5 Professional life
  - 6 Civic life
  - 7 Intimacy
  - 8 Nature and the environment
  - 9 Cultural modernisation
  - 10 Conclusions
Part 6
- 11. An outline of modern morality
  - Gabriël van den Brink
  - 1 Back to the original question
  - 2 Negative effects
  - 3 Ambivalent or neutral effects
  - 4 Moderately positive effects
  - 5 Clearly positive effects
  - 6 The modernisation of morality
  - 7 The moralisation of modernity
  - 8 A void in the public domain
  - 9 The idealistic side of politics
  - 10 Schism in the public sphere
- 12. Reinventing civil society
  - Erik Borgman, Gabriël van den Brink & Paul Dekker†
  - 1 The proliferation of moral ideals
  - 2 The importance of the public imagination
  - 3 The ‘issues’ that matter
  - 4 The fiction of the Public Good
  - 5 The development of ‘civic talk’
Bibliography
Index