|
Showing 1 - 3 of
3 matches in All Departments
Abolition of Nuclear Weapons as a Moral Imperative argues that the
use of nuclear weapons as a threat in policies of nuclear
deterrence violate basic principles of morality and consequently
the abolition of nuclear weapons from the world is a moral
imperative nations that have them. The focus is on the United
States since it will have to take the lead in any program of
abolition. The argument is formulated in terms accessible to
theorists in different disciplines and activists in a large range
of causes. It appeals to principles that are widely shared but
whose application to national policies, especially to deterrence by
threats of mass destruction, has been debated ever since nuclear
weapons were developed. The book explains what is meant by the
"immorality" of a national policy, the stake which citizens have in
their agents acting morally and the role of their opinions in
seeing that they do. The argument of the book is couched in terms
of consequences. The effects of the U.S.'s nuclear deterrent on the
probability of nuclear war are difficult to calculate; but the
harms for the country and others across the globe caused by the
immense apparatus necessary to make U.S. threats credible are
sufficient to condemn the policy. The last part of the book is
devoted to way the U.S. can take the lead in safe and effective
steps necessary to abolish the weapons and prevent their
reintroduction into the world.
John Kultgen explores the ways morality and professional ideals are
connected. In assessing the moral impact of professionalism in our
society, he examines both the structure and organization of
occupations and the ideals and ideology associated with them.
Differing from standard treatments of professional ethics, "Ethics
and Professionalism" recognizes that it is the practices within the
professions that determine whether rules and ideals are used as
masks for self-interest or for genuinely moral purposes. "This book
provides a functional analysis of what it means to be a profession
or a professional society."--"Journal of Mass Media Ethics"
The basic relationship between people should be one of care, and
the caring life is the highest which humans can live.
Unfortunately, care that is ill-considered can easily become an
illegitimate intrusion on autonomy. Autonomy is a basic good, not
to be abridged without good reason. It is not, on the other hand,
the only good. Kultgen argues that it is sometimes necessary to
intervene in the lives of others in order to protect them from harm
or provide important benefits. Guidelines, therefore, must be
established so that care is both respectful and balanced. Some
contemporary moralists categorically condemn paternalism, the
forementioned intervention without consent. Kultgen examines
weaknesses in these arguments and proposes new guidelines for
paternalism, which he then names parentalism. As the term implies,
Kultgen's reconception abandons the patriarchal connotations of the
old term, relying instead on the optimal caring roles
characteristic of "mothers" and "fathers". Kultgen distinguishes
between the personal sphere of interaction (i.e., friends, family,
and intimates), and the public sphere of institutions, legislation,
and the professional practices, and goes on to explore the
implication of parentalism in both these spheres. Though Kultgen
agrees that paternalistic intervention is morally dangerous, he
makes the case that it is equally dangerous to decline to intervene
when another's welfare is in jeopardy.
|
You may like...
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|