Beyond the Ethical Demand

Preface

Preface The idea of publishing an English translation of central texts from K. E. Løgstrup’s later ethical work arose at an international workshop organized by the Løgstrup Archive and held at the Sandbjerg Estate in Denmark from 8 to 12 May 2002. The workshop’s subject was the significance of Løgstrup’s ethics. Since most of Løgstrup’s ethical publications after his major work The Ethical Demand were not available in English, three central extracts from those publications were translated into English. These translations were sent to the participants as preparatory material, and the speakers were asked to take account of them in their lectures. Thus they became an important part of the background for the contributions to the workshop, which are being published as Concern for the Other: Perspectives on the Ethics of K. E. Løgstrup simultaneously with the present volume. At the workshop a decision was made to publish these extracts, along with a number of others, in order to give the English-speaking world the opportunity to become acquainted with the later Løgstrup’s ethical thinking . This volume is the result. The original extracts (“The Sovereign Expressions of Life,” “Sovereign Expressions of Life, the Golden Rule, Character Traits, and Norms,” and “Expressions of Life and Ideas”) have been vii translated by Susan Dew, who is a native English-speaker living in Denmark and has a degree in philosophy. The additional extracts (“Rejoinder,” “Politics and Ethics,” and “Norms and Expressions of Life”) have been translated by Heidi Flegal, a bilingual professional translator also living in Denmark. The involvement of two translators with different backgrounds is inevitably reflected in a difference of style. However, in my function as editor, I have tried to ensure conformity in the key concepts and expressions used. Finally, George Pattison, now Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, has been so kind as to subject the translations to a critical review, which has resulted in many improvements. This does not alter the fact, of course, that the ultimate responsibility for the translations lies with the translators and the editor, and reflects their choices in dealing with Løgstrup’s characteristic prose style. This book is the product of the cooperation of many people and several institutions. First and foremost I would like to thank the Velux Foundation for its generous funding of the Sandbjerg workshop and this translation . Second, I thank the two translators for the fine work they have done, Susan Dew especially for her unfailing willingness to discuss the subtleties of Løgstrup’s expressions and improve the language, Heidi Flegal especially for her professionalism, flexibility, and humorous comments. Furthermore, great thanks are due to George Pattison for his generous and competent review of the translated text. I am grateful to Alasdair MacIntyre for his support of the project and his intercession with the University of Notre Dame Press. I would also like to thank my colleague Svend Andersen for his general support and his aid in finding the right extracts. Moreover, I thank both him and David Bugge for many valuable comments on an earlier version of my introduction. Finally , I am grateful for the benevolent and stimulating cooperation I have had with Jeffrey Gainey, Chuck Van Hof, and Rebecca DeBoer at the University of Notre Dame Press, and for constructive comments from its reader. Århus, Spring 2007 Kees van Kooten Niekerk Beyond the Ethical Demand viii ...