Kritisk politisk etik: Om moralens betydelse inom politiken

What relevance should moral considerations have for the actions of political agents? What is the significance of ethics, as a theoretical reflection on morality, for political life? In this study the author gives a critical analysis of four theories that give different answers to these questions.

One is political cynicism, according to which the political sphere has nothing to do with morality. This is the position taken by Chantal Mouffe and Carl Schmitt. A second theory is political realism, which argues that the moral norms that are relevant for political action are different from those valid for the relationship between individual persons. This position is elaborated by Hans J. Morgenthau and Reinhold Niebuhr. The third theory is political moralism, according to which moral considerations should have a direct impact on the actions of political agents and the shape of political institutions. Alasdair MacIntyre and John Rawls are influential political philosophers arguing for this position.

The author is critical towards all of these three theories and is arguing in favor of what he calls a critical political ethics. According to this theory moral considerations should have a greater impact in politics than they usually have today. At the same time the role of ethics is not to give political proposals. Rather, its task is to give a critical examination of those in political power from a moral perspective. The starting point for such a critical approach should be a principle of human dignity as well as a principle of justice and a theory of human rights. This position is inspired by philosophers in the tradition of critical theory, such as Jürgen Habermas, Seyla Benhabib and Rainer Forst.