The Cambridge Rawls Lexicon

The Cambridge Rawls Lexicon PDF Author: Jon Mandle
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316193985
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 1112

Get Book Here

Book Description
John Rawls is widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century, and his work has permanently shaped the nature and terms of moral and political philosophy, deploying a robust and specialized vocabulary that reaches beyond philosophy to political science, economics, sociology, and law. This volume is a complete and accessible guide to Rawls' vocabulary, with over 200 alphabetical encyclopaedic entries written by the world's leading Rawls scholars. From 'basic structure' to 'burdened society', from 'Sidgwick' to 'strains of commitment', and from 'Nash point' to 'natural duties', the volume covers the entirety of Rawls' central ideas and terminology, with illuminating detail and careful cross-referencing. It will be an essential resource for students and scholars of Rawls, as well as for other readers in political philosophy, ethics, political science, sociology, international relations and law.

The Worth of Persons

The Worth of Persons PDF Author: James Franklin
Publisher: Encounter Books
ISBN: 1641772794
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 149

Get Book Here

Book Description
The death of a person is a tragedy while the explosion of a lifeless galaxy is a mere firework. The moral difference is grounded in the nature of humans: humans have intrinsic worth, a worth that makes their fate really matter. This is the worth that the Australian philosopher James Franklin proposes as the foundation of ethics. In The Worth of Persons he explains that ethics in the usual sense of right and wrong actions, rights and virtues, and how to live a good life, is founded on something more basic that is not itself about actions, namely the worth of persons. Human moral worth arises from certain properties that distinguish humans from the rest of creation (though some animals share a lesser degree of those properties): rationality, consciousness, the ability to act for reasons, emotional structure and love, individuality. This complex package makes humans the "piece of work" of which Hamlet says, “How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty." In clear prose and deeply informed philosophical argument, The Worth of Persons establishes a foundation for ethics in the equal worth of persons, which makes ethics absolutely objective and immune to relativist attacks because it is based on the metaphysical truth about humans. The Worth of Persons will appeal to all those who feel that endless debate about ethical dilemmas, rules, and principles fails to connect with what is really important ethically, that is, what makes humans matter.

The Cambridge Rawls Lexicon

The Cambridge Rawls Lexicon PDF Author: Jon Mandle
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316193985
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 1112

Get Book Here

Book Description
John Rawls is widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century, and his work has permanently shaped the nature and terms of moral and political philosophy, deploying a robust and specialized vocabulary that reaches beyond philosophy to political science, economics, sociology, and law. This volume is a complete and accessible guide to Rawls' vocabulary, with over 200 alphabetical encyclopaedic entries written by the world's leading Rawls scholars. From 'basic structure' to 'burdened society', from 'Sidgwick' to 'strains of commitment', and from 'Nash point' to 'natural duties', the volume covers the entirety of Rawls' central ideas and terminology, with illuminating detail and careful cross-referencing. It will be an essential resource for students and scholars of Rawls, as well as for other readers in political philosophy, ethics, political science, sociology, international relations and law.

The Intrinsic Worth of Persons

The Intrinsic Worth of Persons PDF Author: Jean Hampton
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139460188
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 219

Get Book Here

Book Description
Contractarianism in some form has been at the center of recent debates in moral and political philosophy. Jean Hampton was one of the most gifted philosophers involved in these debates and provided both important criticisms of prominent contractarian theories plus powerful defenses and applications of the core ideas of contractarianism. In these essays, she brought her distinctive approach, animated by concern for the intrinsic worth of persons, to bear on topics such as guilt, punishment, self-respect, family relations, and the maintenance and justification of the state. Edited by Daniel Farnham, this collection is an essential contribution to understanding the problems and prospectus of contractarianism in moral, legal and political philosophy.

Persons, Moral Worth, and Embryos

Persons, Moral Worth, and Embryos PDF Author: Stephen Napier
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400716028
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 287

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Bioethicists have achieved consensus on two ideas pertaining to beginning of life issues: (1) persons are those beings capable of higher-order cognition, or self-consciousness, and (2) it is impermissible to kill only persons. As a consequence, a consensus is reached regarding the permissibility of both destroying human embryos for research purposes and abortion. The present collection aims to interact critically with this consensus. Authors address various aspects of this ‘orthodoxy’. Issues discussed include: theories of personhood and in particular the role of thought experiments used in support of such theories; the notion of an intrinsic potential and the moral relevance of having one; new formulations of the virtue argument against abortion rights; four-dimensionalism and abortion; the notion of moral status and who (or what) has it; scientific accounts of what a human being is, as well as addressing empirical evidence of fetal consciousness; and analysis of the public policy implications given the epistemic status of pro-choice arguments. Given the issues discussed and that the arguments in critical focus are fairly new, the collection provides a novel, comprehensive, and rigorous analysis of contemporary pro-choice arguments.”

The Worth of a Person

The Worth of a Person PDF Author: Timothy Corwen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781790698394
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Get Book Here

Book Description
After we fulfill our basic needs, why don't we turn to creativity or even just relaxation and comfort? And why do we see robots and AI as a threat to jobs rather than an opportunity for leisure and self-realization? Instead of seizing new opportunities, we are driven by our fears and anxieties to seek enhanced worth of person - to magnify if not improve our experience, raise the level of our regard in the eyes of others, and buffer ourselves against future exigencies. That misdirected striving for worth of person is a major force behind the destruction of our social cohesion and of the natural environment, as well as a cause of our disorientation in the face of modern technology. This work seeks to map the complexities of worth of person and how we might redirect our efforts toward deeper levels of worth and a greater ability to benefit from new technologies.

Reasons and Persons

Reasons and Persons PDF Author: Derek Parfit
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191622443
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 880

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book challenges, with several powerful arguments, some of our deepest beliefs about rationality, morality, and personal identity. The author claims that we have a false view of our own nature; that it is often rational to act against our own best interests; that most of us have moral views that are directly self-defeating; and that, when we consider future generations the conclusions will often be disturbing. He concludes that moral non-religious moral philosophy is a young subject, with a promising but unpredictable future.

Do All Persons Have Equal Moral Worth?

Do All Persons Have Equal Moral Worth? PDF Author: Uwe Steinhoff
Publisher:
ISBN: 0198719507
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 239

Get Book Here

Book Description
In present-day political and moral philosophy the idea that all persons are in some way moral equals is an almost universal premise, with its defenders often claiming that philosophical positions that reject the principle of equal respect and concern do not deserve to be taken seriously. This has led to relatively few attempts to clarify, or indeed justify, 'basic equality' and the principle of equal respect and concern. Such clarification and justification, however, would be direly needed. After all, the ideas, for instance, that Adolf Hitler and Nelson Mandela have equal moral worth, or that a rape victim owes equal respect and concern to both her rapist and to her own caring brother, seem to be utterly implausible. Thus, if someone insists on the truth of such ideas, he or she owes his or her audience an explanation. The authors in this volume-which breaks new ground by engaging egalitarians and anti-egalitarians in a genuine dialogue-attempt to shed light into the dark. They try to clarify the concepts of "basic equality", "equal moral worth","equal respect and concern", "dignity," etc; and they try to (partially) justify-or to refute-the resulting clarified doctrines. The volume thus demonstrates that the claim that all persons have equal moral worth, are owed equal concern and respect, or have the same rights is anything but obvious. This finding has not only significant philosophical but also political implications.

Every Person's Life Is Worth a Novel

Every Person's Life Is Worth a Novel PDF Author: Erving Polster
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780939266371
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Get Book Here

Book Description


Dignity Rights

Dignity Rights PDF Author: Erin Daly
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812224752
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254

Get Book Here

Book Description
Originally published in 2012, Dignity Rights is the first book to explore the constitutional law of dignity around the world. In it, Erin Daly shows how dignity has come not only to define specific interests like the right to humane treatment or to earn a living wage, but also to protect the basic rights of a person to control his or her own life and to live in society with others. Daly argues that, through the right to dignity, courts are redefining what it means to be human in the modern world. As described by the courts, the scope of dignity rights marks the outer boundaries of state power, limiting state authority to meet the demands of human dignity. As a result, these cases force us to reexamine the relationship between the individual and the state and, in turn, contribute to a new and richer understanding of the role of the citizen in modern democracies. This updated edition features a new preface by the author, in which she articulates how, over the past decade, dignity rights cases have evolved to incorporate the convergence of human rights and environmental rights that we have seen at the international level and in domestic constitutions.

Cultivating Empathy

Cultivating Empathy PDF Author: Nathan C. Walker
Publisher: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
ISBN: 1558967745
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 130

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this personal and emotionally honest exploration of conflict, the Reverend Nathan C. Walker introduces a creative and compassionate way to develop empathetic responses. He introduces the concept of the moral imagination--a vital character trait used by those who have the courage to project themselves into a conflict and understand all the perspectives, aware that understanding need not imply agreement. "Cultivating Empathy" presents a collection of essays about the author's wrestlings with personal and cultural conflicts and his commitment to stop "otherizing"--which occurs when we either demonize people or romanticize them. Walker's remedy for these kinds of projections is to employ the moral imagination as an everyday spiritual practice. He shows that through this approach, we can save ourselves from irresponsibly using our imaginations by cultivating genuine empathy for those we previously held in contempt. We can visualize ourselves playing various characters within a conflict and choose not to play a lead role in the drama. Throughout the book he endeavors to find connection with skinheads, murderers, homophobic preachers, privileged 1 percenters, and Monsanto executives. An online companion workbook will help readers to hone these skills through a variety of exercises.