David Gauthier is one of the most outstanding and influential philosophers working in moral theory today, and his book Morals by Agreement (1986) has established him as a preeminent defender of contractarian moral theory. This volume brings together a selection of his best essays on contractarianism, many of which have become difficult to find.
Coping is a collection of philosophical essays on how we deal with life’s challenges. We hope for better times, but what is hope, and is it a good thing to hope? How do we look back and make sense of our lives in the face of death? What is the nature of love, and how do we deal with its hardships? What makes for a genuine apology, and is there too much or too little apologizing in this world? Can we bring about changes in ourselves to adapt to our circumstances? How can we make sense of all the good advice—such as, count your blessings, don’t cry over spilled milk—that people have on offer? Coping is a perfect companion text for a moral psychology course, a resilience course, or part of an ethics course. The material is written for readers who are new to philosophy and progresses in short self-contained sections. It draws on literature, music, podcasts, and news items. Each chapter has questions for discussion or essay writing and suggestions for material to explore the topic further.
In the following chapters, I offer an evolutionary account of morality and from that extrapolate a version of contractarianism I call consent theory. Game theory helps to highlight the evolution of morality as a resolution of interpersonal conflicts under strategic negotiation. It is this emphasis on strategic negotiation that underwrites the idea of consent. Consent theory differs from other contractarian models by abandoning reliance on rational self-interest in favour of evolutionary adaptation. From this, more emphasis will be placed on consent as natural convergence rather than consent as an idealization. My picture of contractarianism, then, ends up looking more like the relativist model offered by Harman, rather than the rational (or pseudo-rational) model offered by Gauthier, let alone the Kantian brands of Rawls or Scanlon. So at least some of my discussion will dwell on why it is no loss to abandon hope for the universal, categorical morality that rational models promise. In the introduction, I offer the betting analogy that underwrites the remaining picture. There are some bets where the expected utility is positive, though the odds of winning on this particular occasion are exceedingly low. In such cases, we cannot hope to give an argument that taking the bet is rational. The only thing we can say is that those predisposed to take this kind of bet on these kinds of occasions will do better than those with other dispositions, so long as such games occur often enough.
A renowned Harvard professor's brilliant, sweeping, inspiring account of the role of justice in our society--and of the moral dilemmas we face as citizens What are our obligations to others as people in a free society? Should government tax the rich to help the poor? Is the free market fair? Is it sometimes wrong to tell the truth? Is killing sometimes morally required? Is it possible, or desirable, to legislate morality? Do individual rights and the common good conflict? Michael J. Sandel's "Justice" course is one of the most popular and influential at Harvard. Up to a thousand students pack the campus theater to hear Sandel relate the big questions of political philosophy to the most vexing issues of the day, and this fall, public television will air a series based on the course. Justice offers readers the same exhilarating journey that captivates Harvard students. This book is a searching, lyrical exploration of the meaning of justice, one that invites readers of all political persuasions to consider familiar controversies in fresh and illuminating ways. Affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, patriotism and dissent, the moral limits of markets—Sandel dramatizes the challenge of thinking through these con?icts, and shows how a surer grasp of philosophy can help us make sense of politics, morality, and our own convictions as well. Justice is lively, thought-provoking, and wise—an essential new addition to the small shelf of books that speak convincingly to the hard questions of our civic life.
The approaches to economic ethics and business ethics in Continental Europe and those in America show considerable differences but also a shared interest in turning business ethics into a subject relevant and useful for business practice as well as for the philosophical debate on ethics. The volume collects original essays on the major approaches to economic ethics and business ethics in Germany, the USA, and Europe. It provides the reader with a comprehensive overview about the discussion on modern economic ethics and business ethics. It introduces the German approaches to economic ethics and to business ethics to the English-speaking audience.
Round out your technical engineering abilities with the business know-how you need to succeed Technical competency, the "hard side" of engineering and other technical professions, is necessary but not sufficient for success in business. Young engineers must also develop nontechnical or "soft-side" competencies like communication, marketing, ethics, business accounting, and law and management in order to fully realize their potential in the workplace. This updated edition of Engineering Your Future is the go-to resource on the nontechnical aspects of professional practice for engineering students and young technical professionals alike. The content is explicitly linked to current efforts in the reform of engineering education including ABET's Engineering Criteria 2000, ASCE's Body of Knowledge, and those being undertaken by AAEE, AIChE and ASME. The book treats essential nontechnical topics you'll encounter in your career, like self-management, interpersonal relationships, teamwork, project and total quality management, design, construction, manufacturing, engineering economics, organizational structures, business accounting, and much more. Features new to this revised edition include: A stronger emphasis on management and leadership A focus on personal growth and developing relationships Expanded treatment of project management Coverage of how to develop a quality culture and ways to encourage creative and innovative thinking A discussion of how the results of design, the root of engineering, come to fruition in constructing and manufacturing, the fruit of engineering New information on accounting principles that can be used in your career-long financial planning An in-depth treatment of how engineering students and young practitioners can and should anticipate, participate in, and ultimately effect change If you're a student or young practitioner starting your engineering career, Engineering Your Future is essential reading.
This posthumous publication attempts to answer the question of what moral code is the most reasonable. Philosophers often turn to consequentialism or deontological ethics to address this issue. As the author points out, each has valid arguments but each is unable to get the other side to agree. To rectify this, he proposes a third way. Inside, readers will discover a theory that tries to do justice to both sides. The author first details consequentialism and deontological ethics. He also explains their fundamental conflict. One holds the view that you should do what has the best consequences. The other believes that there are actions which are wrong to do even if they have the best consequences. Next, the volume considers various ways to solve this conflict. Would rejecting one theory work? Or, is it possible to somehow reconcile them. The author shows why these solutions fail. He then goes on to present his own. The resulting contractual theory brings together the two opposing ethical convictions. It proposes that what is right and wrong depends on what norms people would agree to. Throughout, coverage explores the psychological, sociological, and historical background of the moral theories discussed. The reason is that moral theories are embedded in social and psychological contexts. They are better understood when the contexts are explicit. This key feature distinguishes the volume from other works in moral philosophy. At the time of his death in July 2011, Jan Österberg was close to completing this manuscript. It was taken up and fully completed by Erik Carlson and Ryszard Sliwinski, both of Uppsala University.
Authored by over 500 internationally acclaimed expert editors and chapter authors from around the world. Completely updated and expanded with almost 40 new chapters. Significantly increased attention to the role of culture in all aspects of evaluation and care. New sections on Digital Mental Health Services and Technologies, Treatment Issues in Specific Populations and Settings, and on Prevention, Systems of Care, and Psychosocial Aspects of Treatment address key advances. This edition is the first comprehensive reference work to cover the entire field of psychiatry in an updateable format, ensuring access to state of the art information. Earlier editions were called “the best current textbook of psychiatry” by the New England Journal of Medicine, and “the gold standard” by the American Journal of Psychiatry. Tasman’s Psychiatry, 5th Edition, builds on the initial vision in prior editions of approaching psychiatric evaluation and care from an integrative bio-psycho-social-cultural perspective. It is designed to be an essential and accessible reference for readers at any level of experience. This editorial approach encompasses the importance of the first encounter between patient and clinician, followed by the complex task of beginning to develop a therapeutic relationship and to develop and implement a treatment plan in collaboration with the patient. The importance of increasing attention to the role of culture and social determinants of mental health is reflected both in specific chapters and in components of many chapters throughout the book, especially in those pertaining to clinical evaluation, the therapeutic alliance, and treatment. The global scope of this edition is reflected throughout the book, including the section on psychiatric disorders where evaluation using both ICD 11 and DSM 5-TR is discussed. Most chapters are authored by experts from at least two different countries or continents, adding a critically important dimension which often is missing in major psychiatric textbooks. Tasman’s Psychiatry, 5th Edition, is an essential reference for all medical professionals and students who need a trusted reference or learning tool for psychiatry, psychology, clinical research, social work, counseling, therapy, and all others.
Anita Superson challenges the traditional picture of the skeptic who asks, "Why be moral?" While holding that the skeptic's position is important, she builds an argument against it by understanding it more deeply, and then shows what it would take to successfully defeat it. Superson argues that we must defeat not only the action skeptic, but the disposition skeptic, who denies that being morally disposed is rationally required, and the motive skeptic, who believes that merely going through the motions in acting morally is rationally permissible. We also have to address the amoralist, who is not moved by moral reasons he recognizes. Superson argues for expanding the skeptic's position from self-interest to privilege to include morally unjustified behavior targeting disenfranchised social groups, as well as revising the traditional expected utility model to exclude desires deformed by patriarchy as irrational. Lastly she argues that the challenge can be answered if it can be shown that it is, in an important way, inconsistent and therefore irrational to privilege oneself over others. The Moral Skeptic makes an important contribution to both metaethics/moral theory and feminist philosophy, and brings feminist thinking into the larger discussion of the skeptical challenge.