Steven Lukes

A whirlwind fictional tour through the utopias of our modernity.

The Curious Enlightenment of Professor Caritat is a brilliant fictional journey through Western political philosophy by one of our most original thinkers. Professor Caritat, a middle-aged Candide, walks naively through the neighbouring countries of Utilitaria, Communitaria and Libertaria, in his quest to find the best of all possible worlds. Cut loose from the confines of his ivory tower, this wandering professor is made to confront the perplexed state of modern thinking in this dazzling comedy of ideas.
Recensie(s)
Lukes manages to equal the pace and flair of Candide. New York Times Book Review Utterly magnetic. Lo… (mais)

I never had must interest in ethics, and so I figured that this small version would be a nice look at the state of contemporary ethics - which I would say it succeeds at, however superficially some of the content is gone over. For me though, true ethics starts with Kant and ends with Nietzsche. It is for this very reason that I have never taken much interest in it. Ethics today is more an issue of politics than it is one of "living the good life," and I feel that this shows through with the content that is presented (which in all fairness he does cover a large base). I personally hold politics in little regard, and so this book, though only about 150 pages, became a bore to me. Nevertheless it is not without it's merit. It gives plenty to mull over and is a great reference source for further readings.… (mais)