Synopses & Reviews
Deontology is a major approach to normative ethical theory that holds that whether an agent’s action is right or wrong depends not just on consequences, but also on other ‘agent-relative’ features of an individual’s situation – their relations to others, to past actions, and so on.
One classical source for this view is Kant’s idea that every person has an inestimable worth, or dignity, that cannot be traded off against other values. But the idea is also prominent in ‘intuitionist’ deontologists, who hold that many different moral considerations and principles exist, and that these cannot be reduced to any fundamental principle or value.
Deontology collects, for the first time, both the major classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of this important position. In addition to Kant, classical selections from Richard Price and W. D. Ross are included. Contemporary writers represented here include Robert Nozick, Thomas Nagel, Stephen Darwall, Judith Jarvis Thomson, Frances Myrna Kamm, Warren S. Quinn, and Christine M. Korsgaard. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative theory.
Review
“This is a well-conceived collection, sensitive both to the history of the subject and to its more practical consequences. It is highly suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate teaching. Nobody does this sort of thing better than Stephen Darwall.”
Jonathan Dancy, University of Reading “Working out an approach to teaching deontology has traditionally been a process of making costly choices. It is a singular virtue of Darwall's thoughtful collection of readings that by including classical readings as well contemporary discussions, general rationales as well as specific cases, it frees us from the need to make these choices.” Paul Hurley, Pomona College
"In this book we have an excellent investigation of anti-consequentialist discourse through a very appropriate selection of essays effecting an imaginative and profound expansion of deontology. It will prove to be a valuable collection for all academics and students ..." Dr Marianna Papastephanou
"... in this book we have an excellent inverstigation of anti-consequentialist discourse through a very appropriate selection of essays effecting an imaginative and profound expansion of deontology. It will prove to be a valuable collection for all academics and students who are interested in current debates over moral duty, responsibility and their limits." Marianna Papastephanou, University of Cyprus
Synopsis
Deontology brings together some of the most significant philosophical work on ethics, presenting canonical essays on core questions in moral philosophy. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative theory.
- With a helpful introduction by Stephen Darwall, examines key topics in deontological moral theory.
- Includes seven essays which respond to the classic sources.
- Includes classic excerpts by key figures such Kant, Richard Price and W. D. Ross; and recent reactions to this work by philosophers, including Robert Nozick, Thomas Nagel, Stephen Darwall, Judith Thomson, Frances Kamm, Warren Quinn, and Christine Korsgaard.
Synopsis
Deontologybrings together some of the most significant philosophical work on ethics, presenting canonical essays on core questions in moral philosophy. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative theory.
- With a helpful introduction by Stephen Darwall, examines key topics in deontological moral theory.
- Includes seven essays which respond to the classic sources.
- Includes classic excerpts by key figures such Kant, Richard Price and W. D. Ross; and recent reactions to this work by philosophers, including Robert Nozick, Thomas Nagel, Stephen Darwall, Judith Thomson, Frances Kamm, Warren Quinn, and Christine Korsgaard.
Synopsis
Deontology brings together some of the most significant philosophical work on ethics, presenting canonical essays on core questions in moral philosophy. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative theory.
Synopsis
Consequentialismcollects, for the first time, both the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of this important position. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative ethics.
- Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, examines key topics in the consequentialist branch of moral theory.
- Includes seven essays which respond to the classic sources.
- Includes an insightful discussion of central topics in consequentialism by John Rawls and Amartya Sen.
- Includes classic articles by key figures such Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick and G. E. Moore; and recent reactions to this work by philosophers including Philip Pettit, Derek Parfit, Samuel Scheffler, Peter Railton, R. B. Brandt, J. C. Harsanyi, and Robert Adams.
Synopsis
Consequentialismis a major approach to normative ethical theory, which considers the production of good and prevention of bad consequences the touchstone of the moral evaluation.
Consequentialismbrings together for the first time both the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of this important position. Among classic sources, it includes empiricists such as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, and rationalists like Henry Sidgwick and G. E. Moore. Contemporary consequentialist selections are included from Philip Pettit, Derek Parfit, Samuel Scheffler, Peter Railton, Richard B. Brandt, John C. Harsanyi, and Robert Adams. There are also two trenchant discussions of consequentialism by John Rawls and Amartya Sen. Edited and introduced by Stephen Darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative ethics.
About the Author
Stephen Darwall is the John Dewey Collegiate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan. He has written widely on moral philosophy and its history, and is the author of Impartial Reason (1983), The British Moralists and the Internal ‘Ought’: 1640–1740 (1995), Philosophical Ethics (1998), and Welfare and Rational Care (2002). He is the editor, with Allan Gibbard and Peter Railton, of Moral Discourse and Practice (1997).
Table of Contents
Introduction.
Part I: Classical Sources:.
1. From Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals: Immanuel Kant.
2. From The Metaphysics of Morals: Immanuel Kant.
3. 'On a Supposed Right to Lie from Philanthropy': Immanuel Kant.
4. From A Review of the Principal Questions in Morals: Richard Price.
5. From The Right and the Good: W. D. Ross.
Part II: Contemporary Expressions:.
6. 'Moral Constraints and Moral Goals': Robert Nozick.
7. 'Agent-Relativity and Deontology': Thomas Nagel.
8. 'Agent-Centred Restrictions From the Inside Out': Stephen Darwall.
9. 'The Trolley Problem': Judith Thomson.
10. 'Harming Some to Save Others': Frances Kamm.
11. 'Actions, Intentions, and Consequences: The Doctrine of Double Effect': Warren Quinn.
12. 'The Right to Lie: Kant on Dealing with Evil': Christine Korsgaard.
Index.