A Variety of Moral Sources in a Secular Age

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Damian Barnat

Abstract

The aim of my paper is to assess in a critical way the views presented by Graeme Smith in his book A Short History of Secularism (2008) as well as in his paper Talking to Ourselves: An Investigation into the Christian Ethics Inherent in Secularism (2017). According to Smith, secular Western societies are underpinned by Christian ethics. An example of a moral norm that – in Smith’s opinion – derives from medieval Christianity and shapes the moral condition of the members of contemporary societies, is the concern about the poor. My criticism of Smith’s thesis is based on the distinction between moral norms and the ways of justifying them. Referring to this distinction, my objective is to show that certain norms which appear to be the same cannot be treated as identical due to the significant differences in their justification.

Article Details

How to Cite
“A Variety of Moral Sources in a Secular Age”. 2018. Diametros 54 (54): 161-73. https://doi.org/10.13153/diam.54.2017.1138.
Section
Discussions
Author Biography

Damian Barnat, Academy of Physical Education in Kraków

Dr. Damian Barnat
Academy of Physical Education in Kraków
Department of Philosophy and Sociology of Tourism
Aleja Jana Pawła II 78
Pl-31-571 Kraków

E-mail: damian.barnat@gmail.com

How to Cite

“A Variety of Moral Sources in a Secular Age”. 2018. Diametros 54 (54): 161-73. https://doi.org/10.13153/diam.54.2017.1138.
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