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Books > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Ethics & moral philosophy > General
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.
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.
Contemporary Cosmopolitanism is the first, much-needed,
introduction to contemporary political cosmopolitanism. Although it
has its roots in classical philosophy and politics, Cosmopolitanism
has undergone a major revival in the last forty years, stirring
far-reaching and intense international debates. Cosmopolitanism is
a way of thought and life which entails an identification of the
individual with the whole humankind, and implies a moral obligation
to promote social and political justice at the global level.
Contemporary cosmopolitanism reflects a global state that is
already in itself highly cosmopolitan, and represents an attempt to
solve the new problems raised by this situation, to reappraise a
number of traditional conceptual categories in the light of changes
having already occurred or that are still taking place, to develop
new ones, as well as to encourage and guide political-institutional
reform projects. Taraborrelli provides clear descriptions of the
three main forms of contemporary cosmopolitanism - moral,
political-legal and cultural - described through the thought of
various figures representative of the more significant approaches:
Appiah, Archibugi, Beitz, Benhabib, Bhabha, Held, Kaldor, Nussbaum,
Pogge, Sousa Santos. This book provides a sound and comprehensive
basis for the study of cosmopolitanism, ideal as a starting point
for the discussion of issues of widespread interest such as human
rights, global justice, migration, multiculturalism.
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.
Islamic Ethics and the Trusteeship Paradigm offers a highly
relevant and needed introduction to the various interpretations and
applications of the trusteeship ethical theory as developed by the
Moroccan philosopher Taha Abderrahmane (b. 1944). " " ( . 1944 ) .
I is perhaps the most important and the least understood of our
everyday expressions. This is a constant source of philosophical
confusion. Max de Gaynesford offers a remedy: he explains what this
expression means, its logical form and its inferential role. He
thereby shows the way to an understanding of how we express
first-personal thinking. He dissolves various myths about how I
refers, to the effect that it is a pure indexical. His central
claim is that the key to understanding I is that it is the same
kind of expression as the other singular personal pronouns, you and
he/she: a deictic term, whose reference depends on making an
individual salient. He addresses epistemological questions as well
as semantic questions, and shows how they interrelate. The book
thus not only resolves a key issue in philosophy of language, but
promises to be of great use to people working on problems in other
areas of philosophy.
Paul Ricoeur's "Pedagogy of Pardon" describes how memory is
structured, in culture, civic identity and religion - and addresses
central conceptual and methodological issues in his theory of
forgiveness (or reconciliation). Where conflict arises from the
clash of cultures, memory also becomes a tool to help resolve and
heal past wounds. Ricoeur provides a hermeneutical key to examine
conflicting narratives so that some shared truths can be arrived at
in order to begin afresh. As the many Truth Commissions around the
world illustrate; revisiting the past has a positive benefit in
steering history in a new direction after protracted violence.A
second deeper strand in the book is the connection between Paul
Ricoeur and John Paul II. Both lived through the worst period of
modern European history (Ricoeur a Prisoner of War for four years
in WWII and John Paul, who suffered under the communist regime).
Both have written on themes of memory and identity and share a
mutual concern for the future of Europe and the preservation of the
'Christian' identity of the Continent as well as the promotion of
peace and a civilization of love. The book brings together their
shared vision, culminating in the award to Ricoeur by John Paul II
of the Paul VI medal for theology (July 2003) - only conferred
every five years - for the philosopher's fruitful research in the
area of theology and philosophy, faith and reason and ecumenical
dialogue.
The current development of biomedical ethics is a source of
radical critique not only in the clinic, but also in the classroom.
This volume argues that today's moral education is too abstract to
be effective and would benefit from the adoption of the practical
approach which is typical of biomedical ethics--thinking with
cases. In presenting this approach, Radest explores various issues
of moral epistemology and advocates the urgency of realism and
decision in ethics. The use of a rich and complex literature drawn
from biomedical ethics, pedagogy, and philosophy serves to
stimulate the reader to think through the moral complexity and
ambivalence of modern experience.
The decline of the Roman Empire gave rise to two problems, which
combined to form one of the most perplexing philosophical questions
of late antiquity. On the one hand, Rome found itself under
constant military threat as various tribes from the north an east
encroached along its borders to fill the power vacuum left by the
receding Empire. On the other hand, adherents to the Empire's new
official faith - Christianity - found themselves without clear
guidance as to what military roles their faith would permit. The
death of the apostles has left Christians without ongoing
revelatory guidance, and the New Testament writings alone were not
definitive on the subject. The question thus became: 'Can a
Christian answer the Empire's call to military duty and still have
a clear conscience before God?' Fifth-century philosopher St
Augustine of Hippo sought to provide an answer to the question. His
approach formed the foundation of the 'just war' tradition, which
has has enormous influence upon moral-philosophical thought on
military issues in the West ever since.This major new study
identifies Augustine's fundamental premises, reconstructs his
judt-war theory, and critically evaluates the reconstructed theory
in light of the historical context and neo-Platonic and Christian
philosophical considerations. John Mark Mattox PhD is a Lieutenant
Colonel in the United States Army. He has lectured and published
widely on military ethics, and has taught at the United States
Militar Academy, West Point, the University of Maryland in Europe
and the NATO School, Oberammergau, Germany.
This volume gathers eleven new and three previously published essays on the fertile connection between ethics and epistemology. They examine the following topics: epistemic duty, doxastic voluntarism, the normativity of justification, internalism vs. externalism, truth as the epistemic goal, skepticism and the search for the criteria of justification, virtue epistemology, and understanding as an epistemic value. Among the contributors are Erneat Sosa, Linda Zagzebski, Susan Haack, and Alvin Goldman.
The international community's efforts to halt child soldiering have
yielded some successes. But this pernicious practice persists. It
may shift locally, but it endures globally. Preventative measures
therefore remain inadequate. Former child soldiers experience
challenges readjusting to civilian life. Reintegration is complex
and eventful. The homecoming is only the beginning. Reconciliation
within communities afflicted by violence committed by and against
child soldiers is incomplete. Shortfalls linger on the restorative
front. The international community strives to eradicate the scourge
of child soldiering. Mostly, though, these efforts replay the same
narratives and circulate the same assumptions. Current humanitarian
discourse sees child soldiers as passive victims, tools of war,
vulnerable, psychologically devastated, and not responsible for
their violent acts. This perception has come to suffuse
international law and policy. Although reflecting much of the lives
of child soldiers, this portrayal also omits critical aspects. This
book pursues an alternate path by reimagining the child soldier. It
approaches child soldiers with a more nuanced and less judgmental
mind. This book takes a second look at these efforts. It aspires to
refresh law and policy so as to improve preventative, restorative,
and remedial initiatives while also vivifying the dignity of youth.
Along the way, Drumbl questions central tenets of contemporary
humanitarianism and rethinks elements of international criminal
justice. This ground-breaking book is essential reading for anyone
committed to truly emboldening the rights of the child. It offers a
way to think about child soldiers that would invigorate
international law, policy, and best practices. Where does this
reimagination lead? Not toward retributive criminal trials, but
instead toward restorative forms of justice. Toward forgiveness
instead of excuse, thereby facilitating reintegration and promoting
social repair within afflicted communities. Toward a better
understanding of child soldiering, without which the practice
cannot be ended. This book also offers fresh thinking on related
issues, ranging from juvenile justice, to humanitarian
interventions, to the universality of human rights, to the role of
law in responding to mass atrocity.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
the philosophy of John Stuart Mill has never been more relevant.
Can we reconcile individual liberty with the demands of the common
good? Mill's central concern was to modify the Utilitarian ethical
theory of Jeremy Bentham and his father, James Mill, in a manner
that would safeguard human rights. However, many philosophers -
most notably John Rawls - have argued that Mill's attempt was
either inconsistent or incoherent. This new reading of Mill defends
him against these charges, and shows the value of his approach to
the world we live in today. John Fitzpatrick argues that, properly
understood, Mill's liberal utilitarianism can indeed support a
system of rights rich enough to guarantee individual liberty.
Combining fresh interpretations of Mill's writings on ethics,
politics, and political economy with the historical Mill that can
found in his autobiography, the book will be of substantial
interest to a wide audience.
This book inquires into the question: How to think about ethics in
a technological world? This question has three facets:
technological advance poses new challenges for ethics, traditional
ethics may become poorly applicable in a technological world, and
the progress in science and technology has undermined ethical
thinking itself. A thematic treatment of these three dimensions of
the problematic is followed by an analysis of three central
approaches to the questions framed. These are Hans Jonas' ethics of
responsibility, Albert Borgmann's phenomenological analysis of
everyday life in a technological civilization, and Larry Hickman's
pragmatist philosophy of technology. The inquiry concludes with a
sketch of future directions for ethics of technology. This includes
assessing the roles of applied ethics, science and technology
studies (STS), and philosophy of technology in ethics of
technology. While the author agrees on the need for an
interdisciplinary dialogue between these three traditions, he
argues for the primacy of philosophy of technology in thinking
about ethics in technology. Furthermore, the centrality of
"mid-level ethics" is elaborated on in the conclusion. Here
mid-level refers to ethically pregnant phenomena in the realm
between instantaneous choices by an individual (micro level), and
questions about fundamental principles of justice and societal
goods (macro level). Mid-level thus concerns, for instance, habits,
practices, and communal institutions.
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