The Ethics of Modernity: Formation and Transformation in Britain, France, Germany, and the United States

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Rowman & Littlefield, 2001 - History - 281 pages
Based on intensive, long-term study, this comparative book traces the role of ethics in the formation of modernity in four Western nations (the US, Britain, France, and Germany). M nch's analysis spans several centuries of historical and political development. While ethics has played a clear role in the West's transition to modernity, he shows that its role has varied substantially and that it has influenced the development of each nation's political and social institutions. The book begins with an assessment of the ethics of the West in contrast with the East. M nch then looks at the formation of the ethics of modernity from ancient Judaism to ascetic Protestantism and modern secularized culture. The Ethics of Modernity builds a systematic reconstruction of the ethical formation of modernity in its different stages and variations, concluding with current globalization trends.

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Contents

The Western Culture of Instrumental Activism
1
Ethics and the World A Comparative View
15
From Ancient Judaism to Ascetic Protestantism
34
Britain Tradition and Reform
118
France Routine and Revolution
142
Germany Conformity and Alienation
182
United States Continuity and Renewal
223
Ethics and the World A Comparative Developmental History
250
Index
273
About the Author
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About the author (2001)

Richard Münch is professor of sociology at the University of Bamberg, Germany.

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