The Heavenly City of the Twentieth-Century Philosophers

30 Pages Posted: 4 May 2006

Abstract

How to ground or support moral commitments and political norms within a naturalistic worldview is a problem that has challenged thinkers at least since the Enlightenment. This essay reviews the delightful account of the philosophes' vain efforts to address the problem offered in Carl Becker's classic, The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers. The essay then suggests that more recent thinkers have failed in ways closely similar to those Becker discussed. In particular, Martha Nussbaum's much discussed capabilities approach presents almost precise parallels to the eighteenth-century failures that Becker depicted.

Keywords: morality, enlightenment

JEL Classification: K10

Suggested Citation

Smith, Steven Douglas, The Heavenly City of the Twentieth-Century Philosophers. San Diego Legal Studies Paper No. 07-45, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=900256 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.900256

Steven Douglas Smith (Contact Author)

University of San Diego School of Law ( email )

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United States
619-260-7969 (Phone)
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