The ethical jungle
28 November 2005
Ethics is the most intimate intellectual space there is – for the very reason that, at its core, it is hardly intellectual at all. Rather, it is one’s private jungle. One gets lost and hurt in it; but if one survives… Then one is strong enough to “go public”.
There is no such thing as “public” or “social” ethics. It’s all down to the individuals and their sense of justice and character. Just like playing an instrument is directly an interpretation, not a mechanic set of gestures.
Moral under-grounds: fundamental reasons or beliefs (“grounds”) which are deeply personal, lying deeply inside us (“under”).