Normative Identity is about how we define ourselves and others in terms of our ideas about the good and the right. Conflict as well as cooperation spring from our normative identity. Terrorists as well as social reformers find meaning and justification for their actions in their beliefs about whom and what they are and should be. But normative identities are not immune to rational criticism. This book argues that we should try to develop for ourselves a complex normative identity, based on the values of truth, justice, and beauty and consistent with the requirements of rational agency. Per Bauhn develops distinct but interrelated themes in moral philosophy to offer a new understanding of the relation between identity, values, meaning and agency. Ultimately he outlines a normative identity that is both rationally justified and can function as a source of meaning and motivation.

Per Bauhn is Professor of Practical Philosophy at Linnaeus University, Sweden. His publications in English includeEthical Aspects of Political Terrorism (1989),Nationalism and Morality (1995), andThe Value of Courage (2003).

Preface / 1. The Concept of Normative Identity / 2. The Need for Meaning / 3. The Narrative Conception of Self / 4. The Is-Ought Problem / 5. Normative Identity and Agency / 6. The Citizen Agent / 7. The Artist Agent / 8. Concluding Comments: Normative Identities for an Imperfect World / Works Cited / Index