Abstract
If we want to ‘justify’ what we do, we have to show that it fits into the whole pattern of personal life of which we approve. Many people desire to call on God’s command; but often the believer has difficulty in concluding from holy scriptures and church rules of the distant past what God’s will may be in a special case at the present moment. For example, do the Ten Commandments, through dogmatic decrees of the church and other binding decisions, order a Catholic to fight for or fight against the system based on private property of the means of production? There are other people who do not call on God any longer, but who still have in their innermost heart the wish — formed through tradition and childhood experiences — to base their action on commandments which stand outside man, strange and strict. What we could call ‘commandments without a commander’ play a considerable role. Kant’s ‘categorical imperative’ can probably be traced back to theological roots.
[1928, Bibl. No. 172 — Ed.]. [The German original has four additional sections: Rationalization and Labor Movement; Anthroposophy and Class Ideology; Catolic Church and Proletariat; Statistics and Socialism — Ed.]
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[1928, Bibl. No. 172 — Ed.]. [The German original has four additional sections: Rationalization and Labor Movement; Anthroposophy and Class Ideology; Catolic Church and Proletariat; Statistics and Socialism — Ed.]
[In Vienna the benefits of ‘proletarian rule’ could be felt at the time this book was written. The city fathers focused their attention on the worst pre-war grievances; among these were: overcrowding in badly built houses of many stories (part of the rooms without windows to the outside, common use of toilets and water supply), high rate of infant mortality, too large school classes. As a state within the federal republic, Vienna could introduce new taxes; it raised a housing tax, paid by all households but in much higher proportion by the large flats and houses. From the proceeds Vienna built new homes for the people; rents could be kept so low (as no interest had to be paid) that even unemployed tenants could afford them; the installations made life more private and cleaning easy; in the pleasant courtyards with trees and bushes people could meet and children play away from traffic. Consultation was given free to expectant and young mothers, and every newborn baby received a total outfit as a gift from the community. — M.N.]
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© 1973 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
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Neurath, O. (1973). Personal Life and Class Struggle. In: Neurath, M., Cohen, R.S. (eds) Empiricism and Sociology. Vienna Circle Collection, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2525-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2525-6_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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