Understanding Moral Obligation

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Understanding Moral Obligation

Author : Robert Stern
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 293 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2011-12-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781139505017

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Understanding Moral Obligation by Robert Stern Pdf

In many histories of modern ethics, Kant is supposed to have ushered in an anti-realist or constructivist turn by holding that unless we ourselves 'author' or lay down moral norms and values for ourselves, our autonomy as agents will be threatened. In this book, Robert Stern challenges the cogency of this 'argument from autonomy', and claims that Kant never subscribed to it. Rather, it is not value realism but the apparent obligatoriness of morality that really poses a challenge to our autonomy: how can this be accounted for without taking away our freedom? The debate the book focuses on therefore concerns whether this obligatoriness should be located in ourselves (Kant), in others (Hegel) or in God (Kierkegaard). Stern traces the historical dialectic that drove the development of these respective theories, and clearly and sympathetically considers their merits and disadvantages; he concludes by arguing that the choice between them remains open.

Understanding Moral Obligation

Author : Robert Stern
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2014-05-14
Category : PHILOSOPHY
ISBN : 113922445X

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Understanding Moral Obligation by Robert Stern Pdf

In many histories of modern ethics, Kant is supposed to have ushered in an anti-realist or constructivist turn by holding that unless we ourselves 'author' or lay down moral norms and values for ourselves, our autonomy as agents will be threatened. In this book, Robert Stern challenges the cogency of this 'argument from autonomy', and claims that Kant never subscribed to it. Rather, it is not value realism but the apparent obligatoriness of morality that really poses a challenge to our autonomy: how can this be accounted for without taking away our freedom? The debate the book focuses on therefore concerns whether this obligatoriness should be located in ourselves (Kant), in others (Hegel) or in God (Kierkegaard). Stern traces the historical dialectic that drove the development of these respective theories, and clearly and sympathetically considers their merits and disadvantages; he concludes by arguing that the choice between them remains open.

The Concept of Moral Obligation

Author : Michael J. Zimmerman
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 148 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 1996-03-29
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 052149706X

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The Concept of Moral Obligation by Michael J. Zimmerman Pdf

The principal aim of this book is to develop and defend an analysis of the concept of moral obligation. What it seeks to do is generate new solutions to a range of philosophical problems concerning obligation and its application. Amongst these problems are deontic paradoxes, the supersession of obligation, conditional obligation, actualism and possibilism, dilemmas, supererogation, and cooperation. By virtue of its normative neutrality, the analysis provides a theoretical framework within which competing theories of obligation can be developed and assessed.

God and Moral Obligation

Author : C. Stephen Evans
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 210 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2013-02-28
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780199696680

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God and Moral Obligation by C. Stephen Evans Pdf

C. Stephen Evans defends the claim that moral obligations are best understood as divine commands or requirements; hence an important part of morality depends on God. God's requirements are communicated in a variety of ways, including conscience, and that natural law ethics and virtue ethics provide complementary perspectives to this view.

Against Moral Responsibility

Author : Bruce N. Waller
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 365 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2011-10-14
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780262016599

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Against Moral Responsibility by Bruce N. Waller Pdf

A vigorous attack on moral responsibility in all its forms argues that the abolition of moral responsibility will be liberating and beneficial. In Against Moral Responsibility, Bruce Waller launches a spirited attack on a system that is profoundly entrenched in our society and its institutions, deeply rooted in our emotions, and vigorously defended by philosophers from ancient times to the present. Waller argues that, despite the creative defenses of it by contemporary thinkers, moral responsibility cannot survive in our naturalistic-scientific system. The scientific understanding of human behavior and the causes that shape human character, he contends, leaves no room for moral responsibility. Waller argues that moral responsibility in all its forms—including criminal justice, distributive justice, and all claims of just deserts—is fundamentally unfair and harmful and that its abolition will be liberating and beneficial. What we really want—natural human free will, moral judgments, meaningful human relationships, creative abilities—would survive and flourish without moral responsibility. In the course of his argument, Waller examines the origins of the basic belief in moral responsibility, proposes a naturalistic understanding of free will, offers a detailed argument against moral responsibility and critiques arguments in favor of it, gives a general account of what a world without moral responsibility would look like, and examines the social and psychological aspects of abolishing moral responsibility. Waller not only mounts a vigorous, and philosophically rigorous, attack on the moral responsibility system, but also celebrates the benefits that would result from its total abolition.

The Limits of Moral Obligation

Author : Marcel van Ackeren,Michael Kühler
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2015-09-16
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317581307

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The Limits of Moral Obligation by Marcel van Ackeren,Michael Kühler Pdf

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.

Moral Responsibility

Author : Christopher Cowley
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2014-10-20
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317547112

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Moral Responsibility by Christopher Cowley Pdf

How and to what degree are we responsible for our characters, our lives, our misfortunes, our relationships and our children? This question is at the heart of "Moral Responsibility". The book explores accusations and denials of moral responsibility for particular acts, responsibility for character, and the role of luck and fate in ethics. Moral responsibility as the grounds for a retributivist theory of punishment is examined, alongside discussions of forgiveness, parental responsibility, and responsibility before God. The book also discusses collective responsibility, bringing in notions of complicity and membership, and drawing on the seminal contemporary discussion of collective agency and responsibility: the Nuremberg trials.

Moral Obligations and Sovereignty in International Relations

Author : Andrea Paras
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 186 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2018-11-14
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351361705

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Moral Obligations and Sovereignty in International Relations by Andrea Paras Pdf

How has contemporary humanitarianism become the dominant framework for how states construct their moral obligations to non-citizens? To answer this question, this book examines the history of humanitarianism in international relations by tracing the relationship between transnational moral obligation and sovereignty from the 16th century to the present. Whereas existing studies of humanitarianism examine the diffusion of such norms or their transmission by non-state actors, this volume explicitly links humanitarianism to the broader concept of sovereignty. Rather than only focusing on the expansion of humanitarian norms, it examines how sovereignty both challenges and sets limits on them. Humanitarian norms are shown to act just as much to reinforce the logic of sovereignty as they do to challenge it. Contemporary humanitarianism is often described in universalist terms, which suggests that humanitarian activity transcends borders in order to provide assistance to those who suffer. In contrast, this book suggests a more counterintuitive and complex understanding of moral obligation, namely that humanitarian discourse not only provides a framework for legitimate humanitarian action, but it also establishes the limits of moral obligation. It will be of great interest to a wide audience of scholars and students in international relations theory, constructivism and norms, and humanitarianism and politics.

Understanding Virtue Ethics

Author : Stan van Hooft
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2014-12-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317494034

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Understanding Virtue Ethics by Stan van Hooft Pdf

More and more philosophers have advocated varieties of virtue-based ethics that challenge moral theory traditionally founded on moral obligation and the delineation of what is right or wrong in given situations. Virtue ethics, which focuses upon the character of moral agents more than on the moral status of their actions or the consequences of those actions, has become one of the most important and stimulating areas of contemporary ethical theory. "Understanding Virtue Ethics" is an accessible and lively introduction to the subject. It provides a broad overview of the history of virtue ethics from Aristotle to Nietzsche as well as examining the ideas of such contemporary writers as Ricoeur and Levinas. Major themes dealt with by moral theory are examined and how a virtue ethics approach to them differs from those of other traditions is explored. Practical problems of moral complexity such as abortion, euthanasia, and integrity in politics, and how they might be approached from a virtue perspective are considered. The charges of relativism and egoism that are often mounted against virtue ethics are rebutted and virtues that are especially relevant to contemporary life, namely, courage, taking responsibility, and reverence are examined in depth. Finally, the author argues that virtue ethics is highly relevant to our understanding of the moral dimensions of professional roles.

The Moral Nexus

Author : R. Jay Wallace
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2019
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780691172170

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The Moral Nexus by R. Jay Wallace Pdf

The Moral Nexus develops and defends a new interpretation of morality—namely, as a set of requirements that connect agents normatively to other persons in a nexus of moral relations. According to this relational interpretation, moral demands are directed to other individuals, who have claims that the agent comply with these demands. Interpersonal morality, so conceived, is the domain of what we owe to each other, insofar as we are each persons with equal moral standing. The book offers an interpretative argument for the relational approach. Specifically, it highlights neglected advantages of this way of understanding the moral domain; explores important theoretical and practical presuppositions of relational moral duties; and considers the normative implications of understanding morality in relational terms. The book features a novel defense of the relational approach to morality, which emphasizes the special significance that moral requirements have, both for agents who are deliberating about what to do and for those who stand to be affected by their actions. The book argues that relational moral requirements can be understood to link us to all individuals whose interests render them vulnerable to our agency, regardless of whether they stand in any prior relationship to us. It also offers fresh accounts of some of the moral phenomena that have seemed to resist treatment in relational terms, showing that the relational interpretation is a viable framework for understanding our specific moral obligations to other people.

Kantian Ethics

Author : Robert Stern
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780198722298

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Kantian Ethics by Robert Stern Pdf

This volume presents a selection of Robert Stern's work on the theme of Kantian ethics. It begins by focusing on the relation between Kant's account of obligation and his view of autonomy, arguing that this leaves room for Kant to be a realist about value. Stern then considers where this places Kant in relation to the question of moral scepticism, and in relation to the principle of 'ought implies can', and examines this principle in its own right. The papers then move beyond Kant himself to his wider influence and to critics of his work, including Hegel, the British Idealists, and the Danish philosopher and theologian K. E. Logstrup, while also offering a comparison with William James's arguments for freedom. The collection concludes with a consideration of a broadly Kantian critique of divine command ethics offered by Stephen Darwall, arguing that the critique does not succeed. General themes considered in this volume therefore include value, perfectionism, agency, autonomy, moral motivation, moral scepticism, and obligation, as well as the historical place of Kant's ethics and its influence on thinkers up to the present day.

Perspectives on Moral Responsibility

Author : John Martin Fischer,Mark Ravizza
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 378 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2018-07-05
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781501721564

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Perspectives on Moral Responsibility by John Martin Fischer,Mark Ravizza Pdf

Explores aspects of responsibility, including moral accountability; hierarchy, rationality, and the real self; and ethical responsibility and alternative possibilities.

Ignorance and Moral Obligation

Author : Michael J. Zimmerman
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2014-03
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780199688852

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Ignorance and Moral Obligation by Michael J. Zimmerman Pdf

Michael J. Zimmerman explores whether and how our ignorance about ourselves and our circumstances affects what our moral obligations and moral rights are. He rejects objective and subjective views of the nature of moral obligation, and presents a new case for a 'prospective' view.

Obligation and the Fact of Sense

Author : Bryan Lueck
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2019-02-06
Category : Duty
ISBN : 9781474442756

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Obligation and the Fact of Sense by Bryan Lueck Pdf

Staging a fruitful dialogue between the analytic and Continental philosophical traditions, while reflecting specifically on the work of Hegel, Merleau-Ponty, Serres and Nancy, Lueck offers a creative new approach to the problem of moral obligation. Lueck builds on Immanuel Kant's fact of reason - the idea that being a moral subject necessarily presupposes ones having accepted the bindingness of obligation - to show that it must be rethought as the fact of sense.

Moral Responsibility and the Problem of Many Hands

Author : Ibo van de Poel,Lambèr Royakkers,Sjoerd D. Zwart
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 233 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2015-03-12
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317560296

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Moral Responsibility and the Problem of Many Hands by Ibo van de Poel,Lambèr Royakkers,Sjoerd D. Zwart Pdf

When many people are involved in an activity, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint who is morally responsible for what, a phenomenon known as the ‘problem of many hands.’ This term is increasingly used to describe problems with attributing individual responsibility in collective settings in such diverse areas as public administration, corporate management, law and regulation, technological development and innovation, healthcare, and finance. This volume provides an in-depth philosophical analysis of this problem, examining the notion of moral responsibility and distinguishing between different normative meanings of responsibility, both backward-looking (accountability, blameworthiness, and liability) and forward-looking (obligation, virtue). Drawing on the relevant philosophical literature, the authors develop a coherent conceptualization of the problem of many hands, taking into account the relationship, and possible tension, between individual and collective responsibility. This systematic inquiry into the problem of many hands pertains to discussions about moral responsibility in a variety of applied settings.