Abstract

The dissertation suggests a reconciliation between two apparently incompatible, even antithetic attempts by Brunner, on the one hand, and Kurtz, on the other, on the question of achieving a virtuously moral life. ;In a pluralistic society and in a highly scientific and technological age, it is difficult to come up with a definitive and satisfactory approach to achieving a moral life for fear of indoctrination or irrationality. On the other hand, a line of neutrality tends towards moral relatively. The solution to this dilemma is attempted by Brunner and Kurtz. ;At the outset, Kurtz's morality without intervention, such as appropriate examplars, leaves us with attaining a virtuous life by mere intellectual exercise. Since he dissociates himself from the libertarian camp, implying that he renounces moral relativity, I reconsider his view along the line of interventionism at the level of exemplars. This approach is, however, unacceptable to him since it includes religious exemplars, such as those employed in Brunner's model. ;Brunner believes that secular morality is tenable and acceptable but he argues that his notion of agape in exemplars supplements this morality in the sense that it makes a moral life better. He, however, faces two serious difficulties from Kurtz's view. First, morality is autonomous, implying that it cannot depend on divine sanctions. Second, for Kurtz, agape is irrational, implying that it cannot be brought to bear on a rational system such as morality. ;According to a plausible view of moral autonomy, a moral agent is one who determines his own destiny through critical reflection. But, according to this view, he is not insulated from external influences such as religious beliefs, except that he determines whether these influences should have a bearing on his moral life. Thus, even though morality is autonomous, it can still depend on religion. On the question of agape being irrational, Brunner could argue that agape is immune from scientific inquiry and, whatever publicly observable effects it might have, these effects are themselves rational. This approach should achieve reconciliation