Synopses & Reviews
We struggle daily with the notions of why we do what we do and of assigning values to our actions, although it seems possible through experience to gain knowledge and understanding of such matters. In contrast to the world of facts, values and morality seem insecure, easily influenced by illusion or ideology. How can objectivity and accuracy be applied to values and morality? Peter Railton's study reveals how a naturalistically informed view of the world might incorporate objective values and moral knowledge.
Review
'This is a book the serious ethicist should not be without, and I particularly recommend it for those interested in metaethics.' Milltown Studies
Synopsis
In contrast to facts, values and morality seem insecure, influenced by illusion or ideology. How can we apply this same objectivity and accuracy to values and morality? In this collection, Peter Railton shows how a fairly sober, naturalistically informed view of the world might incorporate objective values and moral knowledge.
Synopsis
Shows how a naturalistic view of the world might incorporate objective values and moral knowledge.
Table of Contents
Part I. Realism about Value and Morality: 1. Moral realism; 2. Facts and values; 3. Noncognitivism about rationality; 4. Aesthetic value, moral value, and the ambitions of naturalism; 5. Red, bitter, good; Part II. Normative Moral Theory: 6. Alienation, consequentialism, and the demands of morality; 7. Locke, stock, and peril; 8. How thinking about character and utilitarianism might lead to rethinking the character of utilitarianism; 9. Pluralism, dilemma, and the expression of moral conflict; Part III. The Authority of Ethics and Values - The Problem of Normativity: 10. On the hypothetical and non-hypothetical in reasoning about thought and action; 11. Normative force and normative freedom; 12. Morality, ideology, and reflection; or, the duck sits yet.