摘要：
This article examines in hermeneutic fashion the philosophy of Michel Foucault and isolates an identity matrix
that can assist humans in navigating the often numerous and conflicting narratives facing us in the 21st century and
empower us to move toward a more narrative-based ethic that is beneficial to multiple stakeholders. Of particular interest
is Foucault’s assertion that our identities are not fixed in a traditional sense but mediated by the many rich, dialogical
discourses we encounter each day. This identity scheme is suggested in much of Foucault’s philosophy, particularly
in Discipline and Punish and The History of Sexuality, and its application to ethics has never been more important. As
highly developed countries, particularly the United States, become more egocentric, ethical decision-making too often is
defined via an emotivistic framework. Foucault’s thoughts on identity can enlighten us to the power each person has
in determining and taking ethical action that can positively inform what this article terms a narrative-based ethic. This
portion of the article is informed by philosopher Walter R. Fisher, who sees humans as “storytellers” who view the world
based on an awareness of what Fisher terms narrative probability – or what constitutes a coherent story – and their
constant habit of testing that story’s narrative fidelity, whether the experience rings true with other stories they know to be
true in their lives.
