Actual Ethics

by James R. Otteson

• ISBN13: 9780521681254
• ISBN10: 0521681251
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-19
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Actual Ethics offers a moral defense of the ‘classical liberal’ political tradition and applies it to several of today’s vexing moral and political issues. James Otteson argues that a Kantian conception of personhood and an Aristotelian conception of judgment are compatible and even complementary. He shows why they are morally attractive, and perhaps most controversially, when combined, they imply a limited, classical liberal political state. Otteson then addresses several contemporary problems - wealth and poverty, public education, animal welfare, and affirmative action - and shows how each can be plausibly addressed within the Kantian, Aristotelian and classical liberal framework. Written in clear, engaging, and jargon-free prose, Actual Ethics will give students and general audiences an overview of a powerful and rich moral and political tradition that they might not otherwise consider.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Preface	ix
PART I: WORKING OUT THE POSITION
1 Personhood and Judgment	3	(42)
2 A Matter of Principle, Part One: The Betrayal of Personhood	45	(57)
Appendix to Chapter 2	79	(23)
3 A Matter of Principle, Part Two: Personhood Writ Large	102	(27)
4 The Demands of Poverty	129	(30)
5 The Wealth of Nations	159	(42)
PART II: APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES
6 Schooling, Religion, and Other Things You Should Be in Charge Of	201	(42)
7 Moral Hobgoblins: Inclusion and Exclusion	243	(35)
8 More Moral Hobgoblins: Extending Rights	278	(41)
PART III: THE END
9 What Is Good for the Goose	319	(22)
Index	341