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Books > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Ethics & moral philosophy > General
Fifty years on from its original publication, HLA Hart's The
Concept of Law is widely recognized as the most important work of
legal philosophy published in the twentieth century, and remains
the starting point for most students coming to the subject for the
first time. In this third edition, Leslie Green provides a new
introduction that sets the book in the context of subsequent
developments in social and political philosophy, clarifying
misunderstandings of Hart's project and highlighting central
tensions and problems in the work.
How do we see and act justly in the world? In what ways can we
ethically respond to social and economic crisis? How do we address
the desperation that exists in the new forms of violence and
atrocity? These are all questions at the heart of Justice and Love,
a philosophical dialogue on how to imagine and act in a more just
world by theologian Rowan Williams and philosopher Mary Zournazi.
Looking at different religious and philosophical traditions,
Williams and Zournazi argue for the re-invigoration and enriching
of the language of justice and, by situating justice alongside
other virtues, they extend our everyday vocabularies on what is
just. Drawing on examples ranging from the Paris Attacks, the
Syrian War, and the European Migrant Crisis to Brexit and the US
Presidential elections, Williams and Zournazi reflect on justice as
a process: a condition of being, a responsiveness to others, rather
than a cold distribution of fact. By doing so, they explore the
love and patience needed for social healing and the imagination
required for new ways of relating and experiencing the world.
Nearly four decades after a revolution, experiencing one of the
longest wars in contemporary history, facing political and
ideological threats by regional radicals such as ISIS and the
Taliban, and having succeeded in negotiations with six world powers
over her nuclear program, Iran appears as an experienced Muslim
country seeking to build bridges with its Sunni neighbours as well
as with the West. Ethics of War and Peace in Iran and Shi'i Islam
explores the wide spectrum of theoretical approaches and practical
attitudes concerning the justifications, causes and conduct of war
in Iranian-Shi'i culture. By examining primary and secondary
sources, and investigating longer lasting factors and questions
over circumstantial ones, Mohammed Jafar Amir Mahallati seeks to
understand modern Iranian responses to war and peace. His work is
the first in its field to look into the ethics of war and peace in
Iran and Shi'i Islam. It provides a prism through which the binary
source of the Iranian national and religious identity informs
Iranian response to modernity. By doing so, the author reveals that
a syncretic and civilization-conscious soul in modern Iran is
re-emerging.
This book provides a survey of important topics arising out of the
interaction of law and morality, primarily within the American
legal tradition. Its focus is on an examination of relevant case
law. The book is divided into three sections: (1) Theory: Some
general theories of the relation between law and morality. (2)
Method: How the law attempts to deal with evolving issues of law
and morality using the common law and the ethical and procedural
norms of judicial reasoning; (3) Practice: A survey of topics where
case law is seen as a response to controversial moral conflicts
that arise within American culture and social life. Law and
Morality can be seen as a core text for courses in the general area
of 'law and morality' or 'law and ethics' taught in philosophy
departments; multi-disciplinary curricula involving Philosophy,
Politics, and Law; pre-law courses on an undergraduate level; and
courses in law schools that take up 'law and philosophy' issues. It
is an important reference work for international legal scholars,
and those interested in obtaining in a single volume a broad range
of information about how the American legal system has evolved in
dealing with moral and ethical conflicts through law.
'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.
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.
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