Ethics: Essential Readings in Moral Theory

841 Pages·2012·4.38 MB·English

by  George Sher

Ethics: Essential Readings in Moral Theory
E thics: Essential Readings in Moral Theory is an outstanding anthology of the most
important topics, theories, and debates in ethics, compiled by one of the leading
experts in the fi eld. It includes 66 readings covering the central domains of ethics:
• why be moral?
• the meaning of moral language
• morality and objectivity
• consequentialism
• deontology
• virtue and character
• value and well-being
• moral psychology
• applications: including abortion, famine relief, and consent.
Included are both classical extracts from Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, and Mill as
well as contemporary classics from philosophers such as Thomas Nagel, Thomas
Scanlon, Martha Nussbaum, Derek Parfi t, and Peter Singer.
A key feature of the anthology is that it covers the perennial topics in ethics as
well as very recent ones, such as moral psychology, responsibility, and experimental
philosophy. Each section is introduced and placed in context by the editor, making this
an ideal anthology for anyone studying ethics or ethical theory.
George Sher is Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Philosophy at Rice University. He is
the author of fi ve books: D esert (Princeton), B eyond Neutrality: Perfectionism and
Politics (Cambridge), A pproximate Justice: Studies in Non-Ideal Theory (Rowman
and Littlefi eld), I n Praise of Blame (Oxford), and W ho Knew? Responsibility Without
Awareness (Oxford). His current project is a book with the working title E quality for
Inegalitarians .

Ethics: Essential Readings in
Moral Theory

Edited by
George Sher
First published 2012
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Simultaneously published in the UK and ROW
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2012 George Sher, selection and editorial matter; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of the editor to be identifi ed as author of the editorial material,
and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Ethics : essential readings/edited by George Sher.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Ethics. I. Sher, George.
BJ1012.E8939 2011
170—dc23
2011031812
ISBN: 978-0-415-78230-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-78231-9 (pbk)
Typeset in Joanna and Bell Gothic
by Refi neCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk, UK
Contents
Permissions xi
Preface xvii
SECTION I
Why be moral? 1
Introduction to Section I 3
1 Plato
THE RING OF GYGES 7
2 Joel Feinberg
PSYCHOLOGICAL EGOISM 14
3 Thomas Hobbes
MORALITY AND SELF-INTEREST 23
4 David Gauthier
MORALITY AND ADVANTAGE 34
5 Christine Korsgaard
THE AUTHORITY OF NORMS 43
6 Philippa Foot
MORALITY AS A SYSTEM OF HYPOTHETICAL
IMPERATIVES 55
7 Russ Shafer-Landau
MORAL RATIONALISM 62
SECTION II
The meaning of moral language 73
Introduction to Section II 75
8 David Hume
MORALITY AND NATURAL SENTIMENT 79
vi Contents
9 G. E. Moore
GOODNESS AS SIMPLE AND INDEFINABLE 96
10 A. J. Ayer
THE EMOTIVE THEORY OF ETHICS 103
11 Simon Blackburn
EXPRESSIVISM 110
12 Russ Shafer-Landau
A CRITIQUE OF NON-COGNITIVISM 119
13 Plato
EUTHYPHRO 125
14 Robert Merrihew Adams
A NEW DIVINE COMMAND THEORY 135
SECTION III
Morality, objectivity, and knowledge 145
Introduction to Section III 147
15 James Rachels
THE CHALLENGE OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM 151
16 Gilbert Harman
ETHICS AND OBSERVATION 159
17 Nicholas Sturgeon
MORAL EXPLANATIONS 164
18 J. L. Mackie
THE SUBJECTIVITY OF VALUES 181
19 Thomas Nagel
THE OBJECTIVITY OF ETHICS 195
20 Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
MORAL SKEPTICISM 209
21 George Sher
BUT I COULD BE WRONG 224
Contents vii
SECTION IV
Normative ethics: consequentialism 235
Introduction to Section IV 237
22 John Stuart Mill
UTILITARIANISM 241
23 Bernard Williams
A CRITIQUE OF UTILITARIANISM 253
24 John Rawls
CLASSICAL UTILITARIANISM 262
25 Peter Railton
ALIENATION, CONSEQUENTIALISM, AND
THE DEMANDS OF MORALITY 266
26 Brad Hooker
RULE-CONSEQUENTIALISM 281
27 Alastair Norcross
SCALAR MORALITY 296
28 John M. Taurek
SHOULD THE NUMBERS COUNT? 310
SECTION V
Normative ethics: deontology 321
Introduction to Section V 323
29 Immanuel Kant
MORALITY AND RATIONALITY 327
30 J. David Velleman
READING KANT’S GROUNDWORK 343
31 Christine M. Korsgaard
THE RIGHT TO LIE: KANT ON DEALING WITH EVIL 360
32 Rae Langton
MARIA VON HERBERT’S CHALLENGE TO KANT 377
33 John Rawls
A THEORY OF JUSTICE 387
viii Contents
34 Thomas Scanlon
CONTRACTUALISM AND UTILITARIANISM 403
35 W. D. Ross
WHAT MAKES RIGHT ACTS RIGHT? 410
36 Jonathan Dancy
PARTICULARISM 418
SECTION VI
Virtue and character 427
Introduction to Section VI 429
37 Aristotle
THE NATURE OF MORAL VIRTUE 433
38 Martha Nussbaum
NON-RELATIVE VIRTUES: AN ARISTOTELIAN
APPROACH 446
39 Thomas Hurka
VIRTUE AND VICE 460
40 Friedrich Nietzsche
BEYOND MORALITY 474
41 Bernard Willliams
PERSONS, CHARACTER, AND MORALITY 489
42 Susan Wolf
MORAL SAINTS 500
43 Rosalind Hursthouse
VIRTUE ETHICS 514
44 John Doris
A SITUATIONIST THEORY OF CHARACTER 525
SECTION VII
Value and well-being 541
Introduction to Section VII 543
45 Jeremy Bentham
PLEASURE AS THE GOOD 547
Contents ix
46 Robert Nozick
THE EXPERIENCE MACHINE 550
47 Epicurus
THE GOOD LIFE 552
48 Richard Brandt
GOODNESS AS THE SATISFACTION OF
INFORMED DESIRE 558
49 Peter Railton
FACTS AND VALUES 570
50 Thomas Hurka
PERFECTIONISM 576
51 Derek Parfi t
WHAT MAKES SOMEONE’S LIFE GO BEST? 590
52 Thomas Scanlon
THE BUCK-PASSING ACCOUNT OF VALUE 598
SECTION VIII
Responsibility and moral psychology 609
Introduction to Section VIII 611
53 Harry Frankfurt
FREEDOM OF THE WILL AND THE CONCEPT
OF A PERSON 615
54 J. David Velleman
THE GENESIS OF SHAME 626
55 P. F. Strawson
FREEDOM AND RESENTMENT 643
56 Gary Watson
RESPONSIBILITY AND THE LIMITS OF EVIL:
VARIATIONS ON A STRAWSONIAN THEME 659
57 Thomas Nagel
MORAL LUCK 675
58 Shaun Nichols and Joshua Knobe
MORAL RESPONSIBILITY AND DETERMINISM:
THE COGNITIVE SCIENCE OF FOLK INTUITIONS 685