In Praise of Desire

by Arpaly, Nomy; Schroeder, Timothy

• ISBN13: 9780190871741
• ISBN10: 0190871741
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2018-02-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Joining the ancient debate over the roles of reason and appetite in the moral mind, In Praise of Desire takes the side of appetite. The book makes the claim that acting for moral reasons, acting in a praiseworthy manner, and acting out of virtue amount to nothing more than acting out of intrinsic desires for the right or the good, correctly conceived. In Praise of Desire shows that a desire-centered moral psychology can be richer than philosophers commonly think, accommodating the full complexity of moral life.

Author Biography

Nomy Arpaly received her Ph.D. from Stanford University and is now Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brown University. She is the author of Unprincipled Virtue (OUP 2002) as well as Merit, Meaning, and Human Bondage (2006) and various articles.

Timothy Schroeder grew up on the Canadian prairies, an environment that afforded him plenty of time for philosophical speculation. He received his B.A. from the University of Lethbridge and his Ph.D. from Stanford University, and is now Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ohio State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Section I: Reason
Chapter 1: Deliberation
Chapter 2: How Deliberation Works
Chapter 3: Thinking and Acting for Reasons

Section II: Desire
Chapter 4: Love and Care
Chapter 5: What Desires Are Not
Chapter 6: What Desires Are

Section III: Virtue
Chapter 7: Credit and Blame
Chapter 8: Virtue
Chapter 9: Virtue and Cognition

Section IV: Puzzles
Chapter 10: Inner Struggle
Chapter 11: Addiction

Conclusion
Works Cited
Index