Author: M.G. Forrester
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401599947
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 453
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Book Description
Some time ago I wrote a book (Moral Language, 1982) in which I argued that moral judgments are capable of being true ('truth-apt,' to use a current phrase, or descriptive and having truth-value, to use a more traditional term), that the methods of discovering moral facts are fundamentally similar to those of discovering non-moral facts, and that moral judgments may be true. What I did not do at that time was to develop a moral theory which would demonstrate how the method of discovering moral truths would work and what the criteria of truth actually are. In a later work (Persons, Animals, and Fetuses, 1996) I did propose a moral theory as to what the criteria for moral truth are; however, I presented it primarily as an introduction to the discussion of several practical ethical issues and did not argue fully for that theory. It is high time that I did so, because without showing that such a theory can be developed my defense of moral realism is incomplete. It is all very well to say that we can discover what moral beliefs are true, but unless we can demonstrate just which beliefs are true, the thesis that we can discover this truth cannot be fully defended. For this reason the biggest (although not the only) challenge to showing that ethical objectivity is possible is the presence of moral disagreement - and the contention of many that such disagreement cannot be definitively resolved.
Author: Tim Chappell
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131749265X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Book Description
"Ethics and Experience" presents a wide-ranging and thought-provoking introduction to the question famously posed by Socrates: How is life to be lived? 'An excellent primer for any student taking a course on moral philosophy, the book introduces ethics as a single and broadly unified field of inquiry in which we apply reason to try and solve Socrates' question. "Ethics and Experience "examines the major forms of ethical subjectivism and objectivism - including expressivism, error theory', naturalism, and intuitionism. The book lays out the detail of the most significant contemporary moral theories - including utilitarianism, virtue ethics, Kantianism, and contractarianism - and reconsiders these theories in the light of two questions that should perhaps be asked more often: Is moral theory, with its tendency to regiment ethical thought and experience, really the best way for us to apply reason to deciding how to live? And, might it not be more truly reasonable to look for less system and more insight?
Author: Jonathan Haidt
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307455777
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 530
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Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The acclaimed social psychologist challenges conventional thinking about morality, politics, and religion in a way that speaks to conservatives and liberals alike—a “landmark contribution to humanity’s understanding of itself” (The New York Times Book Review). Drawing on his twenty-five years of groundbreaking research on moral psychology, Jonathan Haidt shows how moral judgments arise not from reason but from gut feelings. He shows why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians have such different intuitions about right and wrong, and he shows why each side is actually right about many of its central concerns. In this subtle yet accessible book, Haidt gives you the key to understanding the miracle of human cooperation, as well as the curse of our eternal divisions and conflicts. If you’re ready to trade in anger for understanding, read The Righteous Mind.
Author: Mark Timmons
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0742564916
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 381
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Book Description
Overview: What makes an action right or wrong? Why is something good or bad? How does one make moral decision about what is right and good? These are among the main questions in ethics that are the subject of moral theory. This book explores some of the most historically important and currently debated moral theories about the nature of the right and good. After introducing students in the first chapter to some of the main aims and methods of evaluating a moral theory, the remaining chapters in this book are devoted to an examination of various moral theories including the divine command theory, moral relativism, natural law theory, Kant's moral theory, moral pluralism, virtue ethics and moral particularism. Providing an introduction to moral theory that explains and critically examines the theories of such classical moral philosophers as Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Bentham, Mill and Ross, this book acquaints students with the work of contemporary moral philosophers.
Author: Mark Timmons
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 260
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Book Description
This anthology of 29 readings on philosophical theories of morality is organized according to type of moral theory (utilitarianism, egoism, virtue ethics, the ethics of care, etc.), with a separate chapter devoted to each type. Reading selections in the chapters provide a balance of both classical and contemporary philosophical writings, representing a spectrum of viewpoints on each theory. In addition, the collection contains an introductory essay on moral theory by the editor.
Author: Peter Byrne
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1349274763
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 210
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Book Description
This study is an introduction to the problems of moral philosophy designed particularly for students of theology and religious studies. It offers an account of the nature and subject matter of moral reasoning and of the major types of moral theory current in contemporary moral philosophy. The account aims to bring out the major issues in moral theory, to present a clear, non-technical articulation of the structure of moral knowledge and to explore the relation between religious belief and morality.
Author: Professor of Philosophy David Copp
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0195147790
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 680
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Book Description
The Handbook is a comprehensive reference work in ethical theory consisting of commissioned articles by leading scholars. The first part treats meta-ethics and the second part normative ethical theory. As with all the Oxford Handbooks, the collection is designed to achieve three goals: exposition of central ideas, criticism of other approaches, and defenses of distinct points of view.
Author: Mark Johnson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022622323X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 302
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Book Description
Using path-breaking discoveries of cognitive science, Mark Johnson argues that humans are fundamentally imaginative moral animals, challenging the view that morality is simply a system of universal laws dictated by reason. According to the Western moral tradition, we make ethical decisions by applying universal laws to concrete situations. But Johnson shows how research in cognitive science undermines this view and reveals that imagination has an essential role in ethical deliberation. Expanding his innovative studies of human reason in Metaphors We Live By and The Body in the Mind, Johnson provides the tools for more practical, realistic, and constructive moral reflection.
Author: Lawrence M. Hinman
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Company
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 476
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Book Description
This book not only provides an introduction to the main traditions in ethical thought (Aristotle and virtue ethics, Mill and utilitarianism, and Kant and deontology), but also offers a conceptual framework (ethical pluralism) for understanding the relationship among these various theories.
Author: Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262195615
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 607
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Book Description
Since the 1990s, many philosophers have drawn on recent advances in cognitive psychology, brain science and evolutionary psychology to inform their work. These three volumes bring together some of the most innovative work by both philosophers and psychologists in this emerging, collaboratory field.
