In defense of Enlightenment idealogy, and ideals

Moral Clarity A Guide for Grown-Up Idealists By Susan Neiman 467 pages. $27. Harcourt. It is very hard to write well about ethics, and especially so in a way that engages and interests that elusive phantom of writers' imaginations, the general reader. But Susan Neiman's previous book on ethics, "Evil in Modern Thought," was widely and favorably reviewed, and the present work is a worthy successor. Neiman's particular skill lies in expressing sensitivity, intelligence and moral seriousness without any hint of oversimplification, dogmatism or misplaced piety. She clearly and unflinchingly sees life as it is, but also sees how it might be, and could be, if we recaptured some of the hopes and ideals that currently escape us. In other words, like its predecessor, "Moral Clarity" is a sustained defense of a particular set of... [read full story]