Moral Progress in Dark Times

Universal Values for the 21st Century

Markus Gabriel, Wieland Hoban

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English

Polity Press
10 February 2023

Philosophy

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 ‘New Moral Realism’, Gabriel breathes fresh life into the idea that humanity’s 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 – and thus embraces all of humanity – 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 – as surely we must – to deal with the great challenges we now face.

By: Markus Gabriel
Translated by: Wieland Hoban
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 231mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 590g
ISBN: 9781509549481
ISBN 10: 150954948X
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 10 February 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Markus Gabriel holds the chair for Epistemology, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Bonn and is also the Director of the International Center for Philosophy in Bonn.

Reviews for Moral Progress in Dark Times: Universal Values for the 21st Century

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