Exercises in Hermeneutical Ethics (10th December 2021)

The conference will be held in via Zoom. If you wish to participate, please contact jochen.schmidt@upb.de to receive an updated program and access details 

The meanings of ethics go beyond mere judgement: There are kinds of aesthetical-ethical reflection and ethical labour that are not merely preparatory to moral judgement or to ethical communication. These kinds of ethical reflection have a right of their own, and they come in many forms. One of the forms of such indirect ethical labour is the hermeneutical work on texts, i.e., on texts that could inspire moral thought in an albeit unforeseeable way, or texts that might lead to an irritation of moral convictions and outlooks. Ethical work can also be seen as work on oneself, work on one’s disposition to adequately perceive those parts of the world that build the horizon of one’s action.  

Hermeneutical ethics is a practice that does not aim to denounce ethical theory by way of anti-theory, but rather to fully appreciate the complexities of ethical reality. The talks of the conference will enact hermeneutical ethics by offering close readings of texts (literary and other) that can both inspire and challenge ethical thought.