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Books > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Ethics & moral philosophy > General
Criticism and Compassion: The Ethics and Politics of Claudia Card
offers a unique perspective on the range of issues explored by Card
during her distinguished career in philosophy. Investigates her
work as an early leader in the development of feminist philosophy,
challenging many preconceptions about the society's norms regarding
gender, marriage, and motherhood Crossing many disciplinary
boundaries, her concept of social death has come to play a
significant role in multidisciplinary field of genocide studies
This volume combines many of Claudia Card's important essays with
recently commissioned essays by leading philosophers whose work has
been influenced by Card The full scope of Card's philosophy is
presented here - both in her own words and those of her critics and
interpreters
'May you live in interesting times' was made famous by Sir Austen
Chamberlain. The premise is that 'interesting times' are times of
upheaval, conflict and insecurity - troubled times. With the
growing numbers of displaced populations and the rise in the
politics of fear and hate, we are facing challenges to our very
'species-being'. Papers in the volume include ethnographic studies
on the 'refugee crisis', the 'financial crisis' and the 'rule of
law crisis' in the Mediterranean as well as the crisis of violence
and hunger in South America.
On the Genealogy of Morality, the classic three essay treatise of
Friedrich Nietzsche, is considered by scholars to be one of the
author's philosophic masterworks. This astounding work represents
the maturity of Nietzsche's ideas, and consists of three distinct
essays. In each, Nietzsche isolates and expands upon ideas he
expressed in Beyond Good and Evil. Nietzsche juxtaposes ideas of
weakness and strength, and notions of human preconception as
generated over millenia of hierarchy inclusive of slavery, to
demonstrate an evolution of ideas beyond traditional duality. This
text controversially introduces the 'blond beast' - a a forebear
for Nietzsche's posthumous association with Nazism and racial
superiority. Nietzsche demonstrates how people with allegiance to
ascetic ideals gained traction in society. He proceeds to discount
science as an opposing influence, together with historians and idle
thinkers, advocating for criticism of what is accepted as truth,
and a replacement for flawed definitions.
This is a philosophical exploration of the moral issues raised by
the use of private military contractors in war. The presence of
contractors on today's battlefields is without question one of the
most significant developments in modern warfare. While many
contractors perform relatively benign tasks on behalf of the
military, controversy rages around those contractors who offer
services that involve the use of armed force. The rise of the
private military industry raises some difficult issues. For
example, Jeremy Scahill, one of the industry's most vociferous
critics, questions whether the outsourcing of military force is not
'a subversion of the very existence of the nation-state and of
principles of sovereignty'. These questions are at essence
philosophical challenges to the existence of the private military
industry. In "Just Warriors, Inc.", philosopher and ethicist
Deane-Peter Baker argues that, contrary to popular assumptions, a
compelling moral and philosophical case can be made in favour of
the ongoing utilization of the services that these 'private
warriors' offer. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in
moving beyond the hyperbole and exploring in depth the real
questions that should be asked about the privatisation of military
force. "Think Now" is a new series of books which examines central
contemporary social and political issues from a philosophical
perspective. These books aim to be accessible, rather than overly
technical, bringing philosophical rigour to modern questions which
matter the most to us. Provocative yet engaging, the authors take a
stand on political and cultural themes of interest to any
intelligent reader.
In The Priority of the Person, world-class philosopher David Walsh
advances the argument set forth in his highly original philosophic
meditation Politics of the Person as the Politics of Being (2015),
that "person" is the central category of modern political thought
and philosophy. The present volume is divided into three main
parts. It begins with the political discovery of the
inexhaustibility of persons, explores the philosophic
differentiation of the idea of the "person," and finally traces the
historical emergence of the concept through art, science, and
faith. Walsh argues that, although the roots of the idea of
"person" are found in the Greek concept of the mind and in the
Christian conception of the soul, this notion is ultimately a
distinctly modern achievement, because it is only the modern turn
toward interiority that illuminated the unique nature of persons as
each being a world unto him- or herself. As Walsh shows, it is
precisely this feature of persons that makes it possible for us to
know and communicate with others, for we can only give and receive
one another as persons. In this way alone can we become friends
and, in friendship, build community. By showing how the person is
modernity's central preoccupation, David Walsh's The Priority of
the Person makes an important contribution to current discussions
in both political theory and philosophy. It will also appeal to
students and scholars of theology and literature, and any groups
interested in the person and personalism.
A recent trend in metaethics has been to reject the apparent choice
between pure cognitivism, where moral (and other normative)
judgments are understood as representational or belief-like states,
and pure non-cognitivism, where they are understood as
non-representational or desire-like states. Rather, philosophers
have adopted views which seek in some way to combine the strengths
of each side while avoiding the standard problems for each. Some
such views claim that moral judgments are complexes of belief-like
and desire-like components. Other views claim that normative
language serves both to ascribe properties and to express
desire-like attitudes. This collection of twelve new essays
examines the prospects for such 'hybrid views' of normative thought
and language. The papers, which focus mainly on moral thought and
talk, provide a guide to this debate while also pushing it forward
along numerous fronts.
No one wants to be treated merely as a means-"used," in a sense.
But just what is this repugnant treatment? Audi's point of
departure is Kant's famous principle that we must treat persons as
ends in themselves and never merely as means. Treatment of these
kinds is conduct, a complex three-dimensional notion whose central
elements are action, its motivation, and the manner of its
performance. He shows how the notions of treating persons as ends
and, by contrast, merely as means, can be anchored outside Kant and
clarified in ways that enhance their usefulness both in ethical
theory and in practical ethics, where they have much intuitive
force. Audi constructs an account of treatment of persons-of what
it is, how it differs from mere interpersonal action, and what
ethical standards govern it. In accounting for such treatment, the
book develops a wider conception of ethics than is commonly
implicit in utilitarian, deontological, or virtue theories. These
results contribute to ethical theory, but in its discussion of
diverse narrative examples of moral and immoral conduct, the book
also contributes to normative ethics. Audi's theory of conduct
takes account of motivational elements that are not traits of
character and of behavioral elements that are not manifestations of
virtue or vice. Here it goes beyond the leading virtue approaches.
The theory also advances rule ethics by framing wider conception of
moral behavior-roughly, of acting morally. The results advance both
normative ethics and ethical theory. For moral philosophy, the book
frames conceptions, articulates distinctions, and formulates
principles; and for practical ethics, it provides a multitude of
cases that illustrate both the scope of moral responsibility and
the normative standards for living up to it.
The Reading Augustine series presents concise, personal readings of
St. Augustine of Hippo from leading philosophers and religious
scholars. John Rist takes the reader through Augustine's ethics,
the arguments he made and how he arrived at them, and shows how
this moral philosophy remains vital for us today. Rist identifies
Augustine's challenge to all ideas of moral autonomy, concentrating
especially on his understanding of humility as an honest appraisal
of our moral state. He looks at thinkers who accept parts of
Augustine's evaluation of the human condition but lapse into
bleakness and pessimism since for them God has disappeared. In the
concluding parts of the book, Rist suggests how a developed version
of Augustine's original vision can be applied to the complexities
of modern life while also laying out, on the other hand, what our
moral universe would look like without Augustine's contribution to
it.
This is a book for anyone who has ever paused to wonder: Will
cloning ever be legal? Why it is that 'saviour siblings' and sex
selection provoke such strong reactions? Will there ever be such a
thing as an artificial womb? Assisted reproductive technologies are
unique in their capacity to challenge our assumptions and elicit
passionate responses. Looking at the moral, philosophical, and
legal issues surrounding cases of surrogacy, single or same-sex
parenthood, retrieval of sperm from dead or dying patients, and the
insemination of post-menopausal women, this book questions whether
these rapidly-developing technologies are refashioning the nature
of the family. The UK has played a unique role in the development
and regulation of reproductive technologies, and has been at the
forefront of controversy over 'saviour siblings', designer babies,
reproductive cloning, and embryo research. This book provides a
clear and simple account of the techniques involved in assisted
reproduction and embryo research, and discusses the legal and
ethical implications of some of these technologies, illustrated by
compelling descriptions of real-life cases. The book also addresses
the ways in which reproductive technologies are regulated,
critically examining the role of the Human Fertilisation and
Embryology Authority and comparing the UK's approach with that of
other countries. Finally, it contemplates the possibility that some
of our most deeply-held assumptions about human nature may be
called into question by further developments in stem cell research
and fertility treatments.
A host of ethical questions has arisen recently in response to the
development of new reproductive technologies. This text helps
students of theology, philosophy, and health studies, as well as
lay readers, to find answers to these questions.
In order to facilitate an informed discussion of the many
delicate ethical issues, the book first provides readers with
relevant medical and scientific information. It explains in a clear
and simple way, for example, what is involved in human embryo and
embryonic cell stem research, infertility and its treatments, and
prenatal screening and diagnosis. It also explains how the
metaphysical framework, in which both Christian and secular
philosophers think, relates to the scientific facts and affects the
ways in which they solve ethical problems.
Throughout, the author takes a balanced approach, acknowledging
his loyalty to Catholicism, yet freely exploring new options
indicated by advancing biological science.
Evil is a problem that will not go away. For some it is an
inescapable fact of the human condition. For others "evil" is a
term that should only be used to name the most horrible of crimes.
Still others think that the worst problem lies with the abuse of
the term: using it to vilify a misunderstood enemy. No matter how
we approach it, "evil" is a concept that continues to call out for
critical reflection. This volume collects the results of a two-year
deliberation within the Boston University Institute for Philosophy
of Religion lecture series, bringing together scholars of religion,
literature, and philosophy. Its essays provide a thoughtful,
sensitive, and wide-ranging consideration of this challenging
problem and of ways that we might be delivered from it.
The world we live in is unjust. Preventable deprivation and
suffering shape the lives of many people, while others enjoy
advantages and privileges aplenty. Cosmopolitan responsibility
addresses the moral responsibilities of privileged individuals to
take action in the face of global structural injustice. Individuals
are called upon to complement institutional efforts to respond to
global challenges, such as climate change, unfair global trade, or
world poverty. Committed to an ideal of relational equality among
all human beings, the book discusses the impact of individual
action, the challenge of special obligations, and the possibility
of moral overdemandingness in order to lay the ground for an
action-guiding ethos of cosmopolitan responsibility. This
thought-provoking book will be of interest to any reflective reader
concerned about justice and responsibilities in a globalised world.
Jan-Christoph Heilinger is a moral and political philosopher. He
teaches at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat, Munich, Germany, and at
Ecole normale superieure, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC - AD 65), fully Lucius Annaeus Seneca
and also known simply as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher,
statesman, dramatist, and-in one work-humorist of the Silver Age of
Latin literature. As a tragedian, he is best-known for his Medea
and Thyestes.
David-Hillel Ruben mounts a defence of some unusual and original positions in the philosophy of action. Written from a point of view out of sympathy with the assumptions of much of contemporary philosophical action theory, his book draws its inspiration from philosophers as diverse as Aristotle, Berkeley, and Marx. Ruben's work is located in the tradition of the metaphysics of action, and will attract much attention from his peers and from students in the field.
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