The Limits of Moral Obligation
The Limits of Moral Obligation

Author: Marcel van Ackeren

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-09-16

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 131758130X

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This volume responds to the growing interest in finding explanations for why moral claims may lose their validity based on what they ask of their addressees. Two main ideas relate to that question: the moral demandingness objection and the principle "ought implies can." Though both of these ideas can be understood to provide an answer to the same question, they have usually been discussed separately in the philosophical literature. The aim of this collection is to provide a focused and comprehensive discussion of these two ideas and the ways in which they relate to one another, and to take a closer look at the consequences for the limits of moral normativity in general. Chapters engage with contemporary discussions surrounding "ought implies can" as well as current debates on moral demandingness, and argue that applying the moral demandingness objection to the entire range of normative ethical theories also calls for an analysis of its (metaethical) presuppositions. The contributions to this volume are at the leading edge of ethical theory, and have implications for moral theorists, philosophers of action, and those working in metaethics, theoretical ethics and applied ethics.

A Theory of Value and Obligation
A Theory of Value and Obligation

Author: Robin Attfield

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-07-20

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1000029166

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Originally published in 1987 and re-issued in 2020 with a new Preface, this book presents and elaborates interrelated solutions to a number of problems in moral philosophy, from the location of intrinsic value and the nature of a worthwhile life, via the limits of obligation and the nature of justice, to the status of moral utterances. After developing a biocentric account of moral standing, the author locates worthwhile life in the development of the generic capacities of a creature, whether human or nonhuman, and presents an account of relative intrinsic value which later generates a theory of interspecific justice. This value-theory also informs a consequentialist understanding of obligation, of moral rightness and of supererogation. The understanding thus supplied is shown to cope with the problems of integrity, of justice and of the ‘Repugnant Conclusion’ in population ethics. A cognitivist account of ethical conclusions such as those so far reached is then defended against non-cognitivist and relativist objections and a far-reaching naturalist theory is defended, integrating earlier conclusions with an account of the logic of the fundamental ethical concepts. This wide-ranging volume which maps the whole area of morality is thoroughly argued with reference both to contemporary philosophical developments and to classical theories.

The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation
The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation

Author: George Klosko

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 2004-01-26

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 1461645328

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In The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation, George Klosko presents the first book-length treatment of political obligation grounded in the premises of liberal political theory. In this now-classic work, he clearly and systematically formulates what others thought impossible-a principle of fairness that specifies a set of conditions which grounds existing political obligations and bridges the gap between the abstract accounts of political principles and the actual beliefs of political actors. Brought up-to-date with a new introduction, this new edition will be of great interest to all interested in political thought.

Mountains Beyond Mountains
Mountains Beyond Mountains

Author: Tracy Kidder

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks

Published: 2009-08-25

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0812980557

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “[A] masterpiece . . . an astonishing book that will leave you questioning your own life and political views.”—USA Today “If any one person can be given credit for transforming the medical establishment’s thinking about health care for the destitute, it is Paul Farmer. . . . [Mountains Beyond Mountains] inspires, discomforts, and provokes.”—The New York Times (Best Books of the Year) In medical school, Paul Farmer found his life’s calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. Tracy Kidder’s magnificent account shows how one person can make a difference in solving global health problems through a clear-eyed understanding of the interaction of politics, wealth, social systems, and disease. Profound and powerful, Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes people’s minds through his dedication to the philosophy that “the only real nation is humanity.” WINNER OF THE LETTRE ULYSSES AWARD FOR THE ART OF REPORTAGE This deluxe paperback edition includes a new Epilogue by the author

Value, Obligation, and Meta-ethics
Value, Obligation, and Meta-ethics

Author: Robin Attfield

Publisher: Rodopi

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 9789051838572

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This work defends an interrelated set of theses in value-theory, normative ethics and meta-ethics. The three Parts correspond to these three areas. Part One (Value) defends a biocentric theory of moral standing, and then the coherence and objectivity of belief in intrinsic value, despite recent objections. Intrinsic value is located in the flourishing of living creatures; specifically, a neo-Aristotelian, species-relative account is supplied of wellbeing or flourishing, in terms of the development of the essential capacities of one's species. There follows a theory of priorities, or of relative intrinsic value, in which the satisfaction of basic needs takes priority over other needs and over wants, and the interests of complex and sophisticated creatures over those of others, where they are at stake. Part Two defends a practice-consequentialist theory of the criteria of rightness and of obligation, which leaves room for supererogation, underpins our intuitions about justice, commends population growth only where it is genuinely desirable, and responds better than act-consequentialism to objections like that concerned with the separateness of persons. Part Three sifts meta-ethical theories, rejects moral relativism, and defends a cognitivist and naturalist meta-ethic. In defending analytical naturalism, it takes into account the latest literature on supervenience. By responding to recent discussions, this study supersedes my Theory of Value and Obligation (1987). It is equipped with detailed end-notes and an ample bibliography, which could prove a research tool of itself.

The Grounds and Limits of Political Obligation
The Grounds and Limits of Political Obligation

Author: Emile Capriotti

Publisher: Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13:

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This book deals with the question of whether citizens have an obligation to states or political entities generally. The argument of the book attempts to show that the individual receives benefits from the state that form both the grounds and also the limits of that obligation to the state. It revises and updates the State of Nature theory of classical social contract philosophy in the light of developments in game theory and economics. The Grounds and Limits of Political Obligation offers an original theory of the relationship between the individual and the state based upon two principles of political obligation: The Nonaggression Principle - that one is obligated not to inflict natural injuries upon others - and The Public Goods Principle - that individuals have an obligation to do their part in the maintenance of public goods that protect them from natural injuries.

A Theory of Legal Obligation
A Theory of Legal Obligation

Author: Stefano Bertea

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-10-03

Total Pages: 379

ISBN-13: 1108475108

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Bertea puts forward a comprehensive and original theory of legal obligation, understood as a distinctive legal concept.

Political Obligation
Political Obligation

Author: John Horton

Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 9780333367858

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This text reviews and criticizes the current justifications of political obligation - the relationship between the individual and the political community - in terms of contract, consent, utility, fair play, common good and suchlike, in addition to assessing the anarchist denial of political obligation. The book also sets out an alternative approach to the problem which challenges many of the standard ideas about political obligation.

Markets without Limits
Markets without Limits

Author: Jason F. Brennan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-08-20

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1317815629

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May you sell your vote? May you sell your kidney? May gay men pay surrogates to bear them children? May spouses pay each other to watch the kids, do the dishes, or have sex? Should we allow the rich to genetically engineer gifted, beautiful children? Should we allow betting markets on terrorist attacks and natural disasters? Most people shudder at the thought. To put some goods and services for sale offends human dignity. If everything is commodified, then nothing is sacred. The market corrodes our character. Or so most people say. In Markets without Limits, Jason Brennan and Peter Jaworski give markets a fair hearing. The market does not introduce wrongness where there was not any previously. Thus, the authors claim, the question of what rightfully may be bought and sold has a simple answer: if you may do it for free, you may do it for money. Contrary to the conservative consensus, they claim there are no inherent limits to what can be bought and sold, but only restrictions on how we buy and sell.