Moral Progress in Dark Times

Universal Values for the 21st Century

By: Markus Gabriel, Wieland Hoban (Translator)

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Hardcover | 10 February 2023 | Edition Number 1

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Hardcover
280 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.11 x 16.0 x 2.79

Hardcover

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The challenges we face today are unprecedented, from the existential crisis of climate change to the global security threats posed by aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere. Add to this the crisis of liberal democracy and we seem to be swirling in a state of moral disarray, unsure whether there are any principles to which we can appeal today that would be anything other than particularistic.

In contrast to this view, Markus Gabriel puts forward the bold argument that there are guiding moral principles for human behaviour. These guiding principles extend across cultures; they are universally valid and form the source of universal values in the twenty-first century. In developing what he calls a âNew Moral Realismâ, Gabriel breathes fresh life into the idea that humanityâs task on our planet is to enable moral progress through cooperation. It is only by achieving moral progress in a way that incorporates universal values â" and thus embraces all of humanity â" that we can avoid the abyss into which we will otherwise slide.

Written with verve, wit and imagination, Gabriel's call for a new enlightenment is a welcome antidote to the value relativism and nihilism of our times, and it lays out a moral framework within which we can work together â" as surely we must â" to deal with the great challenges we now face.

Industry Reviews

"This book is a passionate defense of moral realism against the now standard relativism on the topic, written in Gabriel's usual clear prose. His gift for illuminating examples and anecdotes, combined with his thorough philosophical knowledge and hyper-alertness to world events, ensure that Moral Progress in Dark Times speaks directly to the conscience of the twenty-first-century citizen."
—Graham Harman

"In this book, Markus Gabriel seeks a possible resurrection of history from the normative foundations of a moral realism. In this search, we discover something like a non-Eurocentric universal history, based on the existence of universalizable moral facts capable of transcending specific contexts and guiding us through dark times. Aware of the challenges of this new universalism, Gabriel does not shy away from any controversy and invites us to a debate where the question is no less than the possibilities of a new enlightenment."
—Vladimir Safatle

“[T]he book’s themes that morality is real and grounded in facts, that scientific-technological progress should be guided by ethics, and that this requires heavy-duty interdisciplinary cooperation (including a role for the humanities!) as well as a fundamental belief in truth and human dignity, are desperately needed in our current historical moment.”
—Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

“What is so impressive about Gabriel’s book is both its readability and that he is able to stand up for a form of European Enlightenment in German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s universalism, which is needed now more than ever.”
—The Sociological Review

“a challenging, provocative book”
—Midwest Book Review

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