What Is a Person?

What Is a Person? PDF Author: Michael F. Goodman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780896031173
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
The idea for an anthology on personhood grew out of two things, viz. , the work I did with Martin Benjamin during the Summer of 1982 at Michigan State University on the question, What is a person?, and the amount of time, effort, and expense required for serious research on the topic itself. The former experience taught me the importance of, among other things, attempting to get clear about what we are to mean by 'person,' while the latter experience suggested a possible course of action whereby getting clear might be made more manage able simply by having relatively convenient access to some of the most insightful and stimulating writings on the topic. The problems of personhood addressed in this book are central to issues in ethics ranging from the treatment or termination of infants with birth defects to the question whether there can be rational suicide. But before questions on such issues as the morality of abortion, genetic engineering, infanticide, and so on, can be settled, the prob lems of personhood must be clarified and analyzed. Hence What Is a Person? has as its primary theme the examination of various proposed conditions of personhood.

War and Moral Responsibility

War and Moral Responsibility PDF Author: Thomas Scanlon
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691019802
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
This remarkably rich collection of articles focuses on moral questions about war. The essays, originally published in Philosophy & Public Affairs, cover a wide range of topics from several points of view by writers from the fields of political science, philosophy, and law. The discussion of war and moral responsibility falls into three general categories: problems of political and military choice, problems about the relation of an individual to the actions of his government, and more abstract ethical questions as well. The first category includes questions about the ethical and legal aspects of war crimes and the laws of war; about the source of moral restrictions on military methods or goals; and about differences in suitability of conduct which may depend on differences in the nature of the opponent. The second category includes questions about the conditions for responsibility of individual soldiers and civilian officials for war crimes, and about the proper attitude of a government toward potential conscripts who reject its military policies. The third category includes disputes between absolutist, deontological, and utilitarian ethical theories, and deals with questions about the existence of insoluble moral dilemmas.

Practical Philosophy

Practical Philosophy PDF Author: John Haldane
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
ISBN: 1845402901
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
In this wide ranging volume of philosophical essays John Haldane explores some central areas of social life and issues of intense academic and public debate. These include the question of ethical relativism, fundamental issues in bioethics, the nature of individuals in relation to society, the common good, public judgement of prominent individuals, the nature and aims of education, cultural theory and the relation of philosophy to art and architecture.

Punishment

Punishment PDF Author: A. John Simmons
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691029559
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
The problem of justifying legal punishment has been at the heart of legal and social philosophy from the very earliest recorded philosophical texts. However, despite several hundred years of debate, philosophers have not reached agreement about how legal punishment can be morally justified. That is the central issue addressed by the contributors to this volume. All of the essays collected here have been published in the highly respected journal Philosophy & Public Affairs. Taken together, they offer not only significant proposals for improving established theories of punishment and compelling arguments against long-held positions, but also ori-ginal and important answers to the question, "How is punishment to be justified?" Part I of this collection, "Justifications of Punishment," examines how any practice of punishment can be morally justified. Contributors include Jeffrie G. Murphy, Alan H. Goldman, Warren Quinn, C. S. Nino, and Jean Hampton. The papers in Part II, "Problems of Punishment," address more specific issues arising in established theories. The authors are Martha C. Nussbaum, Michael Davis, and A. John Simmons. In the final section, "Capital Punishment," contributors discuss the justifiability of capital punishment, one of the most debated philosophical topics of this century. Essayists include David A. Conway, Jeffrey H. Reiman, Stephen Nathanson, and Ernest van den Haag.

Equality and Preferential Treatment

Equality and Preferential Treatment PDF Author: Marshall Cohen
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691019888
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
These essays, with one exception originally published in Philosophy & Public Affairs, consider the moral problems associated with improving the social and economic position of disadvantaged groups. If the situation of women and minorities improves so that their opportunities are equal to those of more favored groups, will they then be in a competitive position conducive to equal achievement? If not, can preferential hiring or preferential admission to educational institutions be justified? The contributors explore the complexities of this problem from several points of view. The discussions in Part I are more theoretical and concentrate on the application to this case of general considerations from ethical theory. The discussions in Part II also take up theoretical questions, but they start from specific problems about the constitutionality and the effectiveness of certain methods of achieving equality and counteracting discrimination. The two groups of essays demonstrate admirably the close connection between moral philosophy and questions of law and policy. The issues discussed include compensation, liability, victimization, the significance of group membership, the intrinsic importance of racial, sexual, or meritocratic criteria, and the overall effects of preferential policies.

The Rights and Wrongs of Abortion

The Rights and Wrongs of Abortion PDF Author: Marshall Cohen
Publisher: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691071978
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 127

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Book Description
Five philosophical essays debate the difference between infanticide and abortion, the mother's right to choose abortion, and the existence of the fetus as a person. Bibliogs

Philosophy and Public Affairs

Philosophy and Public Affairs PDF Author: John Haldane
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521667844
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
A collection of essays on topics including education, welfare policy, religion, and cloning.

What Is a Person?

What Is a Person? PDF Author: Michael F. Goodman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780896031173
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
The idea for an anthology on personhood grew out of two things, viz. , the work I did with Martin Benjamin during the Summer of 1982 at Michigan State University on the question, What is a person?, and the amount of time, effort, and expense required for serious research on the topic itself. The former experience taught me the importance of, among other things, attempting to get clear about what we are to mean by 'person,' while the latter experience suggested a possible course of action whereby getting clear might be made more manage able simply by having relatively convenient access to some of the most insightful and stimulating writings on the topic. The problems of personhood addressed in this book are central to issues in ethics ranging from the treatment or termination of infants with birth defects to the question whether there can be rational suicide. But before questions on such issues as the morality of abortion, genetic engineering, infanticide, and so on, can be settled, the prob lems of personhood must be clarified and analyzed. Hence What Is a Person? has as its primary theme the examination of various proposed conditions of personhood.

War and International Justice

War and International Justice PDF Author: Brian Orend
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN: 1554587638
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
Can war ever be just? By what right do we charge people with war crimes? Can war itself be a crime? What is a good peace treaty? Since the Cold War ended in the early 1990s, many wars have erupted, inflaming such areas as the Persian Gulf, Central Africa and Central Europe. Brutalities committed during these conflicts have sparked new interest in the ethics of war and peace. Brian Orend explores the ethics of war and peace from a Kantian perspective, emphasizing human rights protection, the rule of international law and a fully global concept of justice. Contending that Kant’s just war doctrine has not been given its due, Orend displays Kant’s theory to its fullest, impressive effect. He then completely and clearly updates Kant’s perspective for application to our time. Along the way, he criticizes pacifism and realism, explores the nature of human rights protection during wartime, and defends a theory of just war. He also looks ahead to future developments in global institutional reform using cases from the Persian Gulf War, Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda to illustrate his argument. Controversial and timely, perhaps the most important contribution War and International Justice: A Kantian Perspective makes is with regard to the question of justice after war. Orend offers a principled theory of war termination, making an urgent plea to reform current international law.

Fifty Key Thinkers in International Relations

Fifty Key Thinkers in International Relations PDF Author: Martin Griffiths
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415162289
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
This unique reference offers a quick and convenient overview of the key thinkers in international relations in the twentieth century. The inclusive coverage ranges from politicians such as Lenin and Kissinger, to the most influential figures in feminism, nationalist studies and even historical sociology. Each entry describes the main elements of each thinker's contribution to the study of international relations, provides relevant information on his or her life and career, and lists valuable suggestions for further reading and critical analysis. Political science and journalism students, media professionals and anyone with an interest in modern international relations will want this useful work.

Rawls

Rawls PDF Author: Sebastiano Maffettone
Publisher: Polity
ISBN: 0745646506
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
The most complete introduction to the work of John Rawls. The literature on Rawls and his main arguments are presented in an unprecedented way. An indispensable tool for teachers and students. This book is necessary reading for anyone interested in contemporary political thought.