{"product_id":"the-order-of-evils-toward-an-ontology-of-morals-9781890951511","title":"The Order of Evils: Toward an Ontology of Morals","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat remains of moral judgment when truth itself is mistrusted, when the validity of every belief system depends on its context, when power and knowledge are inextricably entangled? Is a viable moral theory still possible in the wake of the postmodern criticism of modern philosophy? \u003ci\u003eThe Order of Evils\u003c\/i\u003e responds directly to these questions and dilemmas with one simple and brilliant change of focus. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRather than concentrating on the age-old themes of justice and freedom, Adi Ophir offers a moral theory that foregrounds the existential and political nature of Evil. Ophir's main contention is that evil is neither a diabolical element residing in the hearts of men nor a meaningless absence of the good. Rather, it is the socially structured order of \"superfluous evils.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEvils, like pain, suffering, loss, and humiliation, are superfluous when they could have -- but have not -- been prevented. Through close analysis of seminal works by modern and postmodern philosophers -- from Rousseau, Kant, Marx, Sartre, and Arendt to Foucault, L vinas, Derrida, and Lyotard -- Ophir forges a new perspective for thinking about what it means to be a moral being; to be moral, he argues, is to care for others and to be committed to preventing, at all costs, their suffering and distress. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA theoretically sophisticated work, \u003ci\u003eThe Order of Evils\u003c\/i\u003e also bears the traces of Ophir's own political and personal experiences as an Israeli philosopher and activist. Two major events in recent Jewish history have profoundly influenced his thinking: the Holocaust and the prolonged Israeli domination of Palestinians in the occupied territories, both of which are interpreted within the author's moral framework as systematic productions of evils. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOphir does not compare the two events. Instead, he introduces a typology of disasters that allows them to be located within the wide spectrum of human-generated calamities whose specificity and general patterns emerge clearly and distinctly as what they are and are not.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Adi Ophir\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Zone Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/08\/2005\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Mit Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 704\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.4lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 2.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781890951511","brand":"Zone Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43293848174729,"sku":"9781890951511","price":53.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_8a7aaa52-c921-49f4-a6b1-b8a1ad0a0706.jpg?v=1737444535","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-order-of-evils-toward-an-ontology-of-morals-9781890951511","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}