One of the nation's leading military ethicists, Louis P. Pojman argues that globalism and cosmopolitanism motivate the need for greater international cooperation based on enforceable international law. The best way to realize the promises of globalism and cogent moral arguments for cosmopolitanism, Pojman contends, is through the establishment of a World Government. In very readable prose, Pojman begins with a description of the growing menace of non-state terrorism on people everywhere, and distinguishes 'old-style' from 'new-style' terrorism. In Chapter 2, he examines the virtues and vices of nationalism, comparing them to the promises and problems of cosmopolitanism. Pojman ultimately argues that enforceable international law which will promote peace and curtail terrorism requires that we endorse a form of 'soft nationalism.' This form of nationalism is ultimately compatible with a limited, republican form of world government. Chapter 3 addresses universal human rights, arguing against the notion that they are an ethnocentric product of Western culture, and providing an overall justification of human rights as correlative to moral duties. Pojman concludes on a hopeful note, characterizing his proposal for a World Government as an effective counter-measure, albeit ambitious and controversial, to terrorism and its causes.

The concept of desert, which once enjoyed a central place in political and ethical theory, has been relegated to the margins of much of contemporary theory, if not excluded altogether. Recently a renewed interest in the topic has emerged, and several philosophers have argued that the notion merits a more central place in political and ethical theory. Some of these philosophers contend that justice exists to the extent that people receive exactly what they deserve, while others argue that desert should replace such considerations as rights, need, and equality as the basis for distributions. Still others argue that morality involves a fitting match between one's moral character and a degree of happiness. All of these positions have encountered opposition from egalitarians, libertarians, and those who are skeptical about the coherence of the concept of desert.
The first anthology of its kind, What Do We Deserve? is a balanced collection of readings that brings sharply opposing positions and arguments together and stimulates debate over the meaning and significance of desert in current thought. The book begins with eight classical readings on desert (by Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Smith, Kant, Mill, Sidgwick, and Ross), and later turns to contemporary interpretations of the issue. The selections examine the concept itself, analyze its relationship to the ideas of freedom and responsibility, engage in the debate between John Rawls and his critics on the merits of desert, and, finally, study the wider role and significance of desert in political and ethical theory.

A comprehensive anthology on justice with readings that offer the different theories on the importance and placement of justice in society.The well-argued, accessible articlesencompass classic to contemporary theories and cover both positive and negative.

Two distinguished social and political philosophers take opposing positions in this highly engaging work. Louis P. Pojman justifies the practice of execution by appealing to the principle of retribution: we deserve to be rewarded and punished according to the virtue or viciousness of our actions. He asserts that the death penalty does deter some potential murderers and that we risk the lives of innocent people who might otherwise live if we refuse to execute those deserving that punishment. Jeffrey Reiman argues that although the death penalty is a just punishment for murder, we are not morally obliged to execute murderers. Since we lack conclusive evidence that executing murderers is an effective deterrent and because we can foster the advance of civilization by demonstrating our intolerance for cruelty in our unwillingness to kill those who kill others, Reiman concludes that it is good in principle to avoid the death penalty, and bad in practice to impose it.

A comprehensive anthology on justice with readings that offer the different theories on the importance and placement of justice in society.The well-argued, accessible articlesencompass classic to contemporary theories and cover both positive and negative.

Incorporating the insights of new coeditor Lewis Vaughn, Classics of Philosophy, Third Edition, is the most comprehensive anthology of writings in Western philosophy in print. Spanning 2,500 years of thought, it is ideal for introduction to philosophy and history of philosophy courses. It features more than seventy selections by forty philosophers--along with fragments from the Pre-Socratics--offering students and instructors an extensive and economical collection of the major works of the Western tradition. This volume contains the most important writings from Thales to Rawls; twenty of these are complete works, while the others are judiciously abridged so that little of value to the student is lost. A lucid introduction, including a brief biographical sketch, accompanies each of the featured philosophers.
NEW TO THE THIRD EDITION:
* Selections from philosophers who were not included in the previous edition--Maimonides (Guide for the Perplexed) and Schopenhauer (The World as Will and Representation)--along with Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
* Expanded readings: Aristotle's Posterior Analytics, On the Soul, Metaphysics, and Nicomachean Ethics; Berkeley's Of the Principles of Human Knowledge; and Hume's Treatise on Human Nature
* Review questions for each chapter and illustrated portraits of many philosophers
* A Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/pojman featuring resources for students (self-quizzes, flash cards, chapter review questions, a timeline, and helpful web links) and instructors (brief reading summaries, essay questions, test questions, and PowerPoint-based lecture slides)
Classics of Philosophy, Third Edition, provides students with an extensive view of the major stages of growth in Western philosophy--including its birth with the Pre-Socratics and its contemporary developments--in an accessible format and at an affordable price.

Written by a group of distinguished philosophers, the "Foundations of Philosophy Series" aims to exhibit some of the main problems in the various fields of philosophy at the present stage of philosophical inquiry. This book is written from the viewpoint that although justice is the most important concept in political philosophy, it is also one of the most contested concepts in philosophy. The material presents a philosophical map to navigate the plethora of confusing, competing theories and concepts regarding the importance of justice. Coverage begins with an overview of the concept of justice, arguing that justice is a vital part of political philosophy, which in turn is part of moral philosophy. The book outlines an objectivist view of moral philosophy, which holds that moral principles have universal validity. The author distinguishes between formal and material concepts of justice and discusses the related issues of comparative/noncomparative justice and distributive versus commutative justice. For those in criminal justice professions or philosophical vocations.

This is the second of the two split volumes of Classics of Philosophy, an anthology intended for introduction to philosophy and history of philosophy courses and any reader interested in philosophy. It covers the period from Descartes to the present day, including forty-eight works by twenty-nine philosophers. The book presents many complete texts from the period and strongly features twentieth-century philosophy up to John Rawls. The editor has written introductions to each of the philosophers presented.

Louis Pojman and Robert Westmoreland have compiled the best material on the subject of equality, ranging from classical works by Aristotle, Hobbes and Rousseau to contemporary works by John Rawls, Thomas Nagel, Michael Walzer, Harry Frankfurt, Bernard Williams and Robert Nozick; and including such topics as: the concept of equality; equal opportunity; Welfare egalitarianism; resources; equal human rights and complex equality.

This is Volume 3 of the most comprehensive anthology of writings in Western philosophy in print. It assembles the classic essays of Western philosophy of the twentieth century which have given shape and value to its character and structure. From logical Positivism, American Pragmatism, and Ordinary Language Philosophy to Continental Philosophy, the selections have been chosen because they are creative, controversial, and typically fascinating. Fifty four selections of thirty nine authors are included, featuring the work of McTaggart, Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Carnap. Quine, Ayer, Kipke, Harrison, Gettier, Goldman, Strawson, Ryle, Dennett, Davidson, Putnam, Nagel, Serle, Nozick, Rawls, Hussert, Heidegger, Sartre, Foucault, Derrida, Rourty, and Habermas. Also featured are seminal works in the philosophy of mind, free will/determinism, the debate over religious truth, and political and moral philosophy while the emphasis of the earlier volumes on epistemological and metaphysical issues continues. This is a collection which students and intelligent lay people can use without needing advanced technical ability in logic or semantics. The volume opens with a general essay by the editor on philosophy in the twentieth century; a biographical sketch accompanies each author; and each selection includes by an abstract and short bibliography.

Ideal for introductory ethics courses, The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature brings together a comprehensive collection of classical and contemporary readings on ethical theory and contemporary moral issues. The first two-thirds of the book comprises readings on historical and contemporary ethical theory; the final third is devoted to readings on a variety of contemporary moral issues. Integrating literature with philosophy in an innovative way, this anthology leverages literary works to enliven and make concrete the ethical theories and applied issues it covers.

What is our nature? What is this enigma that we call human? Who are we? Since the dawn of human history, people have exhibited wildly contradictory qualities: good and evil, love and hate, strength and weakness, kindness and cruelty, aggressiveness and pacifism, generosity and greed, courage and cowardice. Experiencing a sense of eternity in our hearts--but at the same time confined to temporal and spatial constraints--we seek to understand ourselves, both individually and as a species.
In Who Are We? Theories of Human Nature, esteemed author Louis P. Pojman seeks to find answers to these questions by exploring major theories in Western philosophy and religion, along with several traditions in Eastern thought. The most comprehensive work of its kind, the volume opens with chapters on the Hebrew/Christian view of human nature and the contrasting classical Greek theories, outlining a dichotomy between faith and reason that loosely frames the rest of the book. The following chapters cover the medieval view, Hindu and Buddhist perspectives, conservative and liberal theories, Kant's Copernican revolution, Schopenhauer's pessimistic idealism, and Karl Marx's theory. Freud's psychoanalytic view, the existentialist perspective, the Darwinian view, and scientific materialism are also discussed. Pojman concludes with a discussion of the question of free will, ultimately asserting that each one of us must decide for ourselves who and what we are, and, based on that answer, how we shall live.

This is the first of two split volumes of Classics of Philosophy, an anthology intended for introduction to philosophy and history courses and any reader interested in philosophy. It covers ancient and medieval philosophy from Thales to William of Ockham, including twenty-nine works by thirteen philosophers in addition to fragments from the Presocratics. The book strongly features the works of Plato (with the complete text of The Republic), Aristotle, and Aquinas. The editor has written introductions to each of the philosophers presented.