Nussbaum and the interdependence of ethics and literature
Accounting for Nietzsche^Rs attraction to students in France during the
sixties, Philippe Raynaud observes that it stemmed in part from the fact
that Nietzsche ^Swas the inventor of an unprecedented form of
^Sphilosophical writing style^T (^Secriture philosophique^T) which seemed
destined to establish new links between thought and literature.^T Ten
years ago, in Love^Rs Knowledge, Martha Nussbaum complained that the
dominance of Nietzschean ideas in literary theory had all but precluded
interaction between literary and philosophical scholars, ignoring
exciting new development in moral philosophy. Since then ethical
criticism has experienced a renaissance, generating discussion within
and across both disciplines. It seems fitting, therefore, to assess
Nussbaum^Rs contribution to these debates by looking back at her earlier
work (Love^Rs Knowledge and Poetic Justice), but also at her more recent
contributions including her use of literary texts to defend Aristotelian
social democracy and the privileged place that she accords ^Qcompassion^R
in judicial, legislative, and other forms of public reasoning.
Indeed, her specific uses of literature necessarily problematize the
conventional disciplinary boundaries between and subject matters of
philosophy and literature in academic life. Nussbaum refuses simply to
use literature. What is perhaps her most controversial claim ^V that
literary genres are themselves irreducible forms of knowledge, ways of
knowing the human world that must be incorporated into, not co-opted by,
traditional forms of philosophy ^V is also the claim that has given
definition and shape to so much of her philosophical project. But it
also invites literary scholars and moral philosophers to reflect on the
extent to which what they do is dependent on the work of the other.
Some suggested topics: defenses of or attacks on ethical
theory/criticism; the role of literature in philosophical anthropology;
conceptions of agency in literature and philosophy; her notion of
sympathetic spectatorship; the place of the passions in literature and
philosophy; tragic conflicts and dilemmas; the relevance of the
particular and contingent narratives that literary texts make available
to philosophy; the use of literature to defend public rationality and/or
liberal humanistic education; and the problems of interdisciplinary
relations and disciplinary integrity ^V here it would be helpful to have
papers that deal explicitly with the question of whether or not moral
philosophy needs literature or whether literature needs moral
philosophy.
Deadline for abstracts: 15 September 2000
Send abstracts to: Leonard Ferry
Department of English, CNH 321
McMaster University
Hamilton ON
Canada
L8S 4L9
Or email them to: ferry@itcanada.com
===============================================
From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
CFP@english.upenn.edu
Full Information at
http://www.english.upenn.edu/CFP/
or write Erika Lin: elin@english.upenn.edu
===============================================
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Aug 04 2000 - 14:55:17 EDT