Abstract (eng)
Against the background of increasingly fragmented life worlds of late modern identities, I ask the question of the success of a moral orientation. Morality is not to be under-stood here as an obligation, but in the sense of an ethics of good, as "what is worth striving for" or what is, in a fundamental way, considered "good". The question is to what extent the spearhead of late modern aspirations, such as freedom and self-determination, claim or need a moral value background besides utilitarian or hedonistic motivations. These considerations are inspired and guided by the works of C. Taylor. According to his theories, an idea of the "good" is needed to be able to guarantee a standpoint and thus an identity beyond situational challenges or needs. The social as well as the individual influence of values and value concepts is therefore the focus of this work. In addition, Taylor attempts to trace the background of these values through a comprehensive cultural-historical reconstruction. According to Taylor, the present self-image is, in a broader sense, a product of history. By understanding this history, the isolated self of late modernity can be put back into a larger context.
In summary, the coordinates for a moral orientation are derived from the integration of cultural-historical resources on the one hand and a narrative conception of life for the purpose of a coherent identity on the other.