Max Weber introduced the idea of separate, historically evolving spheres of life as a way to analyse social formations on a societal level. This article develops the notion of spheres of life on the level of actors themselves. It proposes answering the questions of what spheres of life exist and how they relate to each other by looking at the actors’ perspectives. Using the concept of articulation outlined by Hans Joas, the article proposes that ideas about spheres of life are shaped in continuous processes of articulation by elites and laypersons alike. By elaborating Joas’ distinction between ‘attractive-motivating’ values and ‘restrictive-obligatory’ norms, the article suggests that spheres of life can be distinguished analytically according to their experiential quality and relation to morality. The notion of spheres of life can thus serve as a useful theoretical lens for analysing how social and moral orders are (re)produced and changed in everyday life.
The philosophy of emotions has identified a class of affective phenomena called epistemic feelings (e.g. certainty, doubt, or surprise). Such feelings are thought to inform about the quality of one's knowledge and beliefs and to influence processes of knowledge acquisition and belief formation (1). I shall argue that these feelings also inform about the quality of one's (moral) emotions and hence are important to understand everyday moral experiences and the moral dynamics resulting from them. The works of Hans Joas are a good starting point to substantiate this argument, because he relates, albeit implicitly, some epistemic feelings to particular moral experiences (2). Inspired by this analysis of Joas, I differentiate between three ideal typical moral dynamics (moral elaboration, moral relativization and moral closure), which can be induced by specific moral experiences (3). The empirical study of epistemic feelings presents some challenges (4). But such an endeavour promises to increase our understanding of processes of moral reproduction and transformation, and of the development of phenomena like moral dogmatism, moral opportunism, and moral scepticism (5).
Keywords epistemic feelings, moral experiences, moral dynamics
Sentiments epistemològics en les experiències morals i dinàmiques morals en la vida quotidiana Resum
La filosofia de les emocions ha identificat una classe de fenomen afectiu anomenat sentiments epistemològics (com ara la certesa, el dubte o la sorpresa). Es considera que aquests sentiments informen sobre la qualitat del coneixement i les creences d'una persona i influencien els processos d'adquisició de coneixement i formació de creences (1).
This article analyzes business owners' complaints about fiscal relations in a specific conjuncture. After decades of radicalizing productivism in Germany, the entrepreneurs' narratives are infused with ideas of an endangered fiscal community. Threats are perceived as coming from the undeserving poor and wealthy people who presumably both trick the system. The pivot of fairness and justice centers on imaginaries of productivist deservingness. The business owners' reactions to those they portray as unproductive or undeserving range from cynical resignation to fantasies of coercion. Critical to understanding why the complaints play out in specific ways is, as we argue, the entanglement of imaginaries of reciprocity in processes of redistribution that accompanied neoliberal welfare retrenchment. We analyze two forms of entangled understandings: solidary redistribution as owing others and fair reciprocity as willingness to perform. Productivist deservingness becomes the central element of bargaining about the legitimacy of tax avoidance, the necessity to enforce the productivity of the poor, and the police as the last barrier against class warfare.
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