Politics always entails conceptions of what is good and right, but recently Americans have become more moralistic. We are sure of the morality of our causes and the immorality of our opponents', and eager to condemn anyone who questions us. But, as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions: in our quest for justice, we can quickly find ourselves making our society more unjust or alienating those we are trying to help. This reading group looks at two critics of dominant American thought, both from Columbia: Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1930s and Musa al-Gharbi writing today. It explores the potential conflict between individual morality and social morality, as well as the ways in which our pursuit of justice can be self-defeating.

This seminar is the first meeting of our Fall 2024 series, Paved with Good Intentions. We will read the Introduction and chapters 1–3 of Reinhold Niebuhr’s Moral Man and Immoral Society for this meeting.

Join Morningside on Tuesday, October 29th, at 6 PM for a dinner conversation with Professors Richard John and Casey Blake (Columbia) on the dangers of hyper-moralistic politics. This session will be led by Professor Casey Blake.