Post-Ethical Society

The Iraq War, Abu Ghraib, and the Moral Failure of the Secular

Porpora Douglas V., Nikolaev Alexander, Hagemann May Julia, Jenkins Alexander

We've all seen the images from Abu Ghraib: stress positions, US soldiers kneeling on the heads of prisoners, and dehumanizing pyramids formed from black-hooded bodies. We have watched officials elected to our highest offices defend enhanced interrogation in terms of efficacy and justify drone strikes in terms of retribution and deterrence. But the mainstream secular media rarely addresses the morality of these choices, leaving us to ask individually: Is this right?

In this singular examination of the American discourse over war and torture, Douglas V. Porpora, Alexander Nikolaev, Julia Hagemann May, and Alexander Jenkins investigate the opinion pages of American newspapers, television commentary, and online discussion groups to offer the first empirical study of the national conversation about the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the revelations of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib a year later".Post-Ethical Society" is not just another shot fired in the ongoing culture war between conservatives and liberals, but a pensive and ethically engaged reflection of America's feelings about itself and our actions as a nation. And while many writers and commentators have opined about our moral place in the world, the vast amount of empirical data amassed in "Post-Ethical Society" sets it apart – and makes its findings that much more damning.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Do We Need Religion?

1. Prudential and Moral Argumentation about the Iraq War
2. Setting the Context: President Bush's Prewar Rhetoric on Iraq
3. The Multiply Muted Opposition of the Press
4. Abu Ghraib and Torture: Whither Dostoyevsky?
5. How Television Debated the Attack on Iraq
6. The Online Debate about Iraq and Abu Ghraib
7. Congress: Gone Fishing

Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Douglas V. Porpora is professor of sociology at Drexel University. His books include "How Holocausts Happen" and "Landscapes of the Soul".

Alexander Nikolaev is associate professor of communication at Drexel University. He is the author of "International Negotiations" and co-editor of "Leading to the 2003 Iraq War and Ethical Issues in International Communication".

Julia Hagemann May and Alexander Jenkins are doctoral candidates at Drexel University.

They all live in Philadelphia.

Reviews

"Timely and topical, 'Post-Ethical Society' contributes to ongoing national soul-searching about who we are and how we want to go about sorting out our proper role in the world. This is not mere armchair philosophizing. Here we are presented with totally solid, historical, publicly accessible, empirical data on subjects of major national and international importance. I'm very impressed" – Christian Smith, University of Notre Dame

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