Devoted to exploring elections as the central act in a democracy, Duty and Choice: The Evolution of the Study of Voting and Voters is animated by a set of three overarching questions: Why do some citizens vote while others do not? How do voters decide to cast their ballots for one candidate and not another? How does the context in which citizens live influence the choices they make? Organized into three sections focused on turnout, vote choice, and electoral systems, the volume seeks to provide novel insights into the most pressing questions for scholars of vote choice and voting behaviour. In addition to featuring several prominent Canadian scholars, the collection includes chapters by leading scholars from the United States and Europe.
Duty or Pleasure? This was the legendary choice which faced Hercules and which pre-eminent philosopher A.C. Grayling uses as the starting point of this masterful book. He shows us how much more people can understand about themselves and their world by reflecting on today's moral challenges. Above all, he explores the idea that certain demands and certain pleasures are necessary, not just because of their intrinsic merits but because of what they do for each other. With exceptional clarity and unrivalled prose, Grayling addresses the everyday ethical choices which confront us all.
"Duty and Healing" positions ethical issues commonly encountered in clinical situations within Jewish law. The concept of duty is significant in exploring bioethical issues, and this book presents an authentic and non-parochial Jewish approach to bioethics, while it includes critiques of both current secular and Jewish literatures. Among the issues the book explores are the role of family in medical decision-making, the question of informed consent as a personal religious duty, and the responsibilities of caretakers. The exploration of contemporary ethical problems in healthcare through the lens of traditional sources in Jewish law is an indispensable guide of moral knowledge.
These ten new essays by leading contemporary philosophers constitute the first collective study of a group of British moral philosophers active between the 1870s and 1950s, including Henry Sidgwick, Hastings Rashdall, G.E. Moore, H.A. Prichard, W.D. Ross, and A.C. Ewing. The essays help recover the history of this neglected period: they treat it as a unity, draw out the connections between the thinkers, engage philosophically with their ideas, and in so doing show how much they can contribute to present-day philosophical debates
"To say of someone that she has a duty to herself, or that she owes it to herself to do this or that, isn't likely to raise the eyebrow of the proverbial person on the street. These forms of words often find their way into everyday talk without bringing the proceedings to a pause for clarification. With these phrases, we frequently urge others to take care of themselves, or reassure ourselves about the propriety of "looking out for number one." Popular R&B and dance songs have titles like "Owe It to Yourself" and "I Owe it to Myself." The bookstore's self-help shelves display volumes such as You Owe It to Yourself: Effective Keys to a Happier Marriage and You Owe It to Yourself: Divorce and Relationships. A recent TED Talk tells us: "You owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse." Columnists recommend to advice-seekers not simply that they discharge their duties to others, but that they also mind their duties to themselves. The language of self-directed duty, it seems, is not just familiar, but pervasive"--
Belinda Star is a highly decorated veteran of the United States Army. Her military background has created a woman adept in the art of battle, but even her specialized training and battlefield experiences could not prepare her to deal with the crimes committed by her own family. Crimes that not only were committed against the American public, but also against Belinda herself. In the midst of familial tension, Belinda must travel from Germany, where she lives with her active duty husband, back to the United States--back to a place and a family she left long ago. She knows that her mother has, once again, found herself in trouble with the law, but it is not until Belinda arrives that she realizes the extent of her mother's crimes and the secrets she has concealed. Despite the poor treatment Belinda has endured throughout her life at the hands of her own family, she finds herself alone in her efforts to save them from the debt they have created and the legal infractions they have committed. Violence. Alcoholism. Theft. Impersonation. The list of problems within Belinda's family is long, yet she remains steadfast in her commitment to them. Even when Belinda is the only family member who has surfaced to help, her family continues their lies and betrayal, causing Belinda to question her own pledges of allegiance to them time and time again. Belinda must remain the stoic and steadfast soldier she has always been to pull back the layers and layers of deceit and mystery her family has created over several decades. As Belinda uncovers the family secrets her mother will do anything to conceal, she begins to discover even more about her heritage and, consequently, even more about herself. Through her diligence and skill, Belinda not only finds a way to right the wrongs her family has committed, but she also learns a great deal about the true meaning of a daughter's duty.
The moral status of animals is a subject of controversy both within and beyond academic philosophy, especially regarding the question of whether and when it is ethical to eat meat. A commitment to animal rights and related notions of animal protection is often thought to entail a plant-based diet, but recent philosophical work challenges this view by arguing that, even if animals warrant a high degree of moral standing, we are permitted - or even obliged - to eat meat. Andy Lamey provides critical analysis of past and present dialogues surrounding animal rights, discussing topics including plant agriculture, animal cognition, and in vitro meat. He documents the trend toward a new kind of omnivorism that justifies meat-eating within a framework of animal protection, and evaluates for the first time which forms of this new omnivorism can be ethically justified, providing crucial guidance for philosophers as well as researchers in culture and agriculture.
Devoted to exploring elections as the central act in a democracy, Duty and Choice: The Evolution of the Study of Voting and Voters is animated by a set of three overarching questions: Why do some citizens vote while others do not? How do voters decide to cast their ballots for one candidate and not another? How does the context in which citizens live influence the choices they make? Organized into three sections focused on turnout, vote choice, and electoral systems, the volume seeks to provide novel insights into the most pressing questions for scholars of vote choice and voting behaviour. In addition to featuring several prominent Canadian scholars, the collection includes chapters by leading scholars from the United States and Europe.
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Responsibility—which once meant the moral duty to help and support others—has come to be equated with an obligation to be self-sufficient. This has guided recent reforms of the welfare state, making key entitlements conditional on good behavior. Drawing on political theory and moral philosophy, Yascha Mounk shows why this re-imagining of personal responsibility is pernicious—and suggests how it might be overcome. “This important book prompts us to reconsider the role of luck and choice in debates about welfare, and to rethink our mutual responsibilities as citizens.” —Michael J. Sandel, author of Justice “A smart and engaging book... Do we so value holding people accountable that we are willing to jeopardize our own welfare for a proper comeuppance?” —New York Times Book Review “An important new book... [Mounk] mounts a compelling case that political rhetoric...has shifted over the last half century toward a markedly punitive vision of social welfare.” —Los Angeles Review of Books “A terrific book. The insight at its heart—that the conception of responsibility now at work in much public rhetoric and policy is both punitive and ill-conceived—is very important and should be widely heeded.” —Jedediah Purdy, author of After Nature: A Politics for the Anthropocene
