Comments on: Re-personing ethics, de-personing the corporation http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281 vox victimarum, vox dei Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:46:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Top ten posts of 2009 | catholicanarchy.org™ http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281&cpage=1#comment-166789 Top ten posts of 2009 | catholicanarchy.org™ Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:53:04 +0000 http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281#comment-166789 [...] ethics, de-personing the corporation (September 25, CatholicAnarchy.org, Vox [...] [...] ethics, de-personing the corporation (September 25, CatholicAnarchy.org, Vox [...]

]]> By: The Charismanglican http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281&cpage=1#comment-150959 The Charismanglican Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:18:32 +0000 http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281#comment-150959 I hear you, but I still think that with a better metanarrative you get whatever it is that the idea of 'inherent dignity' brings you without bringing in a whole host of other problems. Whatever objective or universal idea of dignity one comes up with is still going to be subject to one's narrative, only now it has the power of being unstoried. Once 'principles' become unstoried they lean towards violence. The problems with the various western narratives you describe may not be that they're not 'objective' enough...it may just be that their story doesn't fit within the only metanarrative that deserves the label 'meta'. I suppose I should read the book (get in line!), because when I hear that 'we need to ground ethics in radical return to actual human persons, not narratives', what I hear is the offer that some other story will leave less damage in its wake, one that doesn't call itself story. I'm skeptical that we can abstract human persons from story. I hear you, but I still think that with a better metanarrative you get whatever it is that the idea of ‘inherent dignity’ brings you without bringing in a whole host of other problems. Whatever objective or universal idea of dignity one comes up with is still going to be subject to one’s narrative, only now it has the power of being unstoried. Once ‘principles’ become unstoried they lean towards violence.

The problems with the various western narratives you describe may not be that they’re not ‘objective’ enough…it may just be that their story doesn’t fit within the only metanarrative that deserves the label ‘meta’.

I suppose I should read the book (get in line!), because when I hear that ‘we need to ground ethics in radical return to actual human persons, not narratives’, what I hear is the offer that some other story will leave less damage in its wake, one that doesn’t call itself story. I’m skeptical that we can abstract human persons from story.

]]> By: m http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281&cpage=1#comment-150573 m Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:52:34 +0000 http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281#comment-150573 I disagree. I think seeing "personhood" as attached to this or that "metanarrative" is exactly what allows us to include some people (or entities) as persons and exclude others. Various american narratives have included corporations but variously excluded the unborn, non-americans, "colored" persons, women, etc. who did not fit into the narrative's view of what personhood means. Kavanaugh's point I think is that we need to ground ethics in radical return to actual human persons, not narratives. I disagree. I think seeing “personhood” as attached to this or that “metanarrative” is exactly what allows us to include some people (or entities) as persons and exclude others. Various american narratives have included corporations but variously excluded the unborn, non-americans, “colored” persons, women, etc. who did not fit into the narrative’s view of what personhood means. Kavanaugh’s point I think is that we need to ground ethics in radical return to actual human persons, not narratives.

]]> By: The Charismanglican http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281&cpage=1#comment-150569 The Charismanglican Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:52:40 +0000 http://catholicanarchy.org/?p=1281#comment-150569 I love these thoughts about de-personing corps and products. However, the criticism leveled at narrative theology or virtue ethics doesn't seem as strong to me. To continue using 'person' as a verb...we 'person' corporations and goods not by recognizing some sort of inherent worth, but by choosing to relate to them in a certain way and see them as characters in a type of story. So, people become 'personed' not necesarily through some sort of objective, inherent dignity (the root 'object' gives it away), but by us affirming a complex set of inter-relationships with that person and seeing them as characters in a specific metanarrative...in our case, that of Creator and good creation. Am I wrong? I love these thoughts about de-personing corps and products. However, the criticism leveled at narrative theology or virtue ethics doesn’t seem as strong to me. To continue using ‘person’ as a verb…we ‘person’ corporations and goods not by recognizing some sort of inherent worth, but by choosing to relate to them in a certain way and see them as characters in a type of story.

So, people become ‘personed’ not necesarily through some sort of objective, inherent dignity (the root ‘object’ gives it away), but by us affirming a complex set of inter-relationships with that person and seeing them as characters in a specific metanarrative…in our case, that of Creator and good creation.

Am I wrong?

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