Explaining Value and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy

Explaining Value and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy
Author: Gilbert Harman
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2000
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0198238053

Explaining Value is a selection of the best of Gilbert Harman's shorter writings in moral philosophy. The thirteen essays, originally published between 1967 and 1999, are divided into four sections, which focus in turn on moral relativism, values and valuing, character traits and virtue ethics, and ways of explaining aspects of morality. An indication of the breadth of interest of the book can be given by mentioning a few of the compelling questions which Harman discusses: What accounts for the existence of basic moral disagreements? Why do most people think it is worse to injure someone than to fail to save them from injury? Why do many people think it is morally permissible to treat animals in ways we would not treat people? What is it to value something and what is it to value something intrinsically? How much of morality can or should be explained in terms of human flourishing, or the possession of virtuous character traits? How do people come to be moral? Harman's distinctive approach to moral philosophy has provoked much interest; this volume offers a fascinating conspectus of his most important work in the area.

Explaining Value and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy

Explaining Value and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy
Author: Gilbert Harman
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2000
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780198238041

In this selection of Gilbert Harman's shorter writings in moral philosophy, the essays are divided into four sections, focusing on moral relativism, values and valuing, character traits and virtue ethics, and ways of explaining aspects of morality.

The Variety of Values

The Variety of Values
Author: Susan R. Wolf
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2015
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0195332814

For over thirty years Susan Wolf has been writing about moral and nonmoral values and the relation between them. This volume collects Wolf's most important essays on the topics of morality, love, and meaning, ranging from her classic essay "Moral Saints" to her most recent "The Importance of Love." Wolf's essays warn us against the common tendency to classify values in terms of a dichotomy that contrasts the personal, self-interested, or egoistic with the impersonal, altruistic or moral. On Wolf's view, this tendency ignores or distorts the significance of such values as love, beauty, and truth, and neglects the importance of meaningfulness as a dimension of the good life. These essays show us how a self-conscious recognition of the variety of values leads to new understandings of the point, the content, and the limits of morality and to new ways of thinking about happiness and well-being.

Facts, Values, and Norms

Facts, Values, and Norms
Author: Peter Railton
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2003-03-17
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780521426930

In our everyday lives we struggle with the notions of why we do what we do and the need to assign values to our actions. Somehow, it seems possible through experience and life to gain knowledge and understanding of such matters. Yet once we start delving deeper into the concepts that underwrite these domains of thought and actions, we face a philosophical disappointment. In contrast to the world of facts, values and morality seem insecure, uncomfortably situated, easily influenced by illusion or ideology. How can we apply this same objectivity and accuracy to the spheres of value and morality? In the essays included in this collection, Peter Railton shows how a fairly sober, naturalistically informed view of the world might nonetheless incorporate objective values and moral knowledge. This book will be of interest to professionals and students working in philosophy and ethics.

Reason and Value

Reason and Value
Author: R. Jay Wallace
Publisher: Clarendon Press
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2004
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0199261881

Reason and Value collects fifteen brand-new papers by leading contemporary philosophers on themes from the moral philosophy of Joseph Raz. The subtlety and power of Raz's reflections on ethical topics - including especially his explorations of the connections between practical reason and the theory of value - make his writings a fertile source for anyone working in this area. The volume honours Raz's accomplishments in the area of ethical theorizing, and will contribute to an enhanced appreciation of the significance of his work for the subject.

The Moral Landscape

The Moral Landscape
Author: Sam Harris
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2011-09-13
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 143917122X

Sam Harris dismantles the most common justification for religious faith--that a moral system cannot be based on science.

Kierkegaard's Ethic of Love

Kierkegaard's Ethic of Love
Author: C. Stephen Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2004-09-09
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0199272174

A compelling account of Kierkegaard's ethical views, seeing him against the backdrop of nineteenth-century European society but showing the relevance of his thought for the twenty-first century. Kierkegaard's view of morality as grounded in God's command to love our neighbours as ourselves has clear advantages over contemporary secular rivals.

Can Ethics Provide Answers?

Can Ethics Provide Answers?
Author: James Rachels
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 262
Release: 1997
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780847683482

Esteemed moral philosopher James Rachels here collects fifteen essays, some classic and others extensively revised, on the nature and limits of moral reasoning. Rachels argues that, rather than simply expressing societal conventions, moral philosophy can subvert received opinion and replace it with something better. Combining a concern for ethical theory with a discussion of practical moral issues such as euthanasia, the rights of animals, privacy, and affirmative action. Can Ethics Provide Answers is an excellent collection for students, scholars, and anyone concerned with the degree to which our principles can guide our policies.

Virtues and Vices and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy

Virtues and Vices and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy
Author: Philippa Foot
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2002
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0199252866

The final eight essays chart her growing disenchantment with emotivism and prescriptivism and their account of moral arguments. All the essays embody to some extent her commitment to an ethics of virtue.

Reason and Value:Themes from the Moral Philosophy of Joseph Raz

Reason and Value:Themes from the Moral Philosophy of Joseph Raz
Author: R. Jay Wallace
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2004-03-04
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0191516406

Reason and Value collects fifteen brand-new papers by leading contemporary philosophers on themes from the moral philosophy of Joseph Raz. The subtlety and power of Raz's reflections on ethical topics - including especially his explorations of the connections between practical reason and the theory of value - make his writings a fertile source for anyone working in this area. The volume honours Raz's accomplishments in the area of ethical theorizing, and will contribute toan enhanced appreciation of the significance of his work for the subject.