1. 2. George Ritzer,The McDonaldization of Society(Thousand Oaks, California: Pine Forge Press, 2000), 16.
2. 3. This conception suggests that ideals do not have an objective status, that is, they only exist if a person claims to have them. However, this does not exclude the possibility of having a rational discussion about ideals, for instance, debating whether or not the ideals of a person do indeed refer to excellence. Thus, ideals are not subjective in the sense that they are based on taste or mere preference.
3. 4. Nicholas Rescher,Ethical Idealism: An Inquiry into the Nature and Function of Ideals(Berkeley and London: University of California Press, 1987), 117.
4. 5. John Kekes,The Art of Life(Ithaca, New York, and London: Cornell University Press, 2001). The difference between achievable excellent situations and unachievable excellent traits of character is possibly the reason Kekes uses the term "ideal" only for the latter ones and refers to the former as "personal projects."