Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Three things often recognized as central to morality are concern for others' welfare, respect for their self-expression, and cooperation in worthwhile collective activity. When philosophers have proposed theories of the substance of morality, they have typically looked to one of these three
sources to provide a single, fundamental principle of morality - or they have tried to formulate a master-principle for morality that combines these three ideas in some way. In Concern, Respect, and Cooperation, Garrett Cullity urges us to think of them instead as three independently important
foundations of morality. The overall aim is to illuminate the structure of morality by showing how its complex content is generated from a relatively simple set of underlying elements - with the complexity resulting from the various ways in which one part of morality can derive from another, and the
various ways in which they can interact. Plural-foundation moral theories are sometimes criticized for having nothing helpful to say about cases in which their fundamental norms conflict. Responding to this, Cullity concludes with three detailed applications of his theory: to the questions
surrounding paternalism, the use of others as means, and our moral responsibilities as consumers.