The Second Threshold of Ethical Secularization: Meanings and Principles

Abstract

This paper analyses the concept and bases of the second threshold of ethical secularization, the concept of "post-duty", alongside which several fundamental concepts in moral philosophy have altered, among them the concepts of obligation, freedom, individuality, social discipline, and ultimate purpose. The essay also delves into the foundational origins of these concepts, attempting to trace the philosophical perspectives that gave rise to notions such as the "deification of duty", categorical imperatives and self-denial, attempting to replace them with concepts like the "surge of vital energy", the assertion of subjective individuality versus heroic individuality, and the negation of emotional and prescriptive meanings in ethical discourse. Finally, the paper examines aspects of benefitting from the concepts of the second threshold of ethical secularization, in its critique of normative philosophy and the importance of correct linguistic usage in our moral discourse for another set of situational ethics.