Ruwen Ogien's Minimalist Ethics vs. Moral Policing

In a feuilleton for artpress, Jacques Henric reviews two books that challenge moral policing: Ruwen Ogien's "L'éthique aujourd'hui" and Jeanne de Berg's "Le petit carnet perdu." Henric contrasts philosophers who impose systems with artists and novelists who explore complexity. He praises Ogien, a philosopher known for "Penser la pornographie," for his "minimalist ethics" that questions moral maximalism through simple, logical examples—like the duty to rescue, homosexuality, sado-masochism, and organ selling. Ogien warns of an Orwellian world where thoughts and desires are judged. Henric also notes that de Berg's book, about a lost notebook annotated by a stranger, may be among the last free expressions of sado-masochistic practices, as European court rulings threaten to ban them. The piece celebrates Ogien's humorous, logical fight against state and private moral police.