Moral Intuitionism against Rationalism

• Authors: Drabarek A.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

Henryk Elzenberg, an influential Polish philosopher active at the Vilnius University before WW II and at the Torun University after the war, believed that values can neither be emotionally adopted, socially negotiated, established by a religious or philosophical theory nor rationally defended. They can only be discovered through moral or axiological intuition. Moral intuition reveals the true nature of value and its pronouncements can withstand all attacks from epistemological scepticism. Some people lack intuitions about value and will be lost without guidance from those who have them. But even the staunch epistemological sceptics sometimes make sound moral discoveries, are ready to act on them and find them reliable despite their disparaging philosophical opinions. It is interesting that starting from these opinions Elzenbereg not only rejected prudential and utilitarian ethics but also found ethics of virtue dry, dull and strained. He put his trust in poets and artists as he thought that their recognition of values was most credible. It is remarkable that he was the mentor of the distinguished poet, Zbigniew Herbert.

Keywords

EN

AXIOLOGICAL INTUITION; ELZENBERG H.; EPISTEMOLOGICAL SCEPTICISM

Discipline

• PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Przegląd Filozoficzny. Nowa Seria
• Year: 2005
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1(53)
• Pages: 67-84
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Drabarek A.

• A. Drabarek, Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej w Lublinie, Wydzial Filozofii i Socjologii, pl. Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej 4, 20-031 Lublin

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

05PLAAAA0032782