Common morality : deciding what to do / Bernard Gert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gert, Bernard, 1934- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxii, 179 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Deciding what to do

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Describing the moral system that is commonly used by people when they are making thoughtful moral decisions and judgments, this book then goes on to analyse the concepts of rationality and impartiality, and of morality as a public system that is known by all normal adults.

Contents:

Introduction

Some areas of widespread agreement

Distinguishing features of moral judgments

Rationality and human nature

Areas of moral disagreement

Analogy between morality and grammar

pt. I. The moral system

Features of the moral system

The moral rules

The moral ideals

General characteristics of moral rules

To whom do the rules apply?

Whom do the moral rules protect?

Interpreting the rules

1. "Do not kill"

2. "Do not cause pain"

3. "Do not disable"

4. "Do not deprive of freedom"

5. "Do not deprive of pleasure"

Summary of the first five rules

6. "Do not deceive"

7. "Keep your promises"

8. "Do not cheat"

9. "Obey the law"

10. "Do your duty"

Violations of moral rules involve liability to punishment

Justifying violations of the moral rules

The two-step procedure for justifying violations of the moral rules

The first step : using the morally relevant features to describe the act

1. Which moral rule is being violated?

2. Which evils or harms (including their kind, severity, probability, the length of time they will be suffered, and their distribution) are being (a) caused by the violation, (b) avoided (not caused) by the violation, or (c) prevented by the violation?

3. What are the desires and beliefs of the person toward whom the rule is being violated?

(a) What are the desires of the person toward whom the rule is being violated?

(b) What are the beliefs of the person toward whom the rule is being violated?

4. Is the relationship between the person violating the rule and the persons toward whom the rule is being violated such that the former sometimes has a duty to violate moral rules with regard to the latter independently of their consent?

5. Which goods or benefits (including kind, degree, probability, duration, and distribution) are being promoted by the violation?

6. Is the rule being violated toward a person in order to prevent her from violating a moral rule when her violation would be (a) unjustified or (b) weakly justified?

7. Is the rule being violated toward a person because he has violated a moral rule (a) unjustifiably or (b) with a weak justification?

8. Are there any alternative actions or policies that would be morally preferable?

9. Is the violation being done intentionally or only knowingly?

10. Is the situation an emergency such that people are not likely to plan to be in that kind of situation?

Summary of morally relevant features

The second step : estimating the consequences of everyone knowing that a kind of violation is allowed and that it is not allowed

Moral virtues and vices

Summary and test

pt. II. The moral theory

The justification of morality

Characteristics of moral agents

Knowledge or beliefs required of all moral agents

Irrationality and rationality

Rationality as maximizing satisfaction of desires

Objectively irrational actions

Personally irrational actions

Reasons versus motives

All reasons have justifying force

Reasons and desires

Adequate reasons

Rationality, morality, and self-interest

Impartiality

Two philosophical attempts to achieve moral impartiality

Justifying moral impartiality

Why morality requires impartiality with respect to the moral rules

The group with regard to which morality requires impartiality

Why act morally?

Morality as an informal public system

The role of governments in settling unresolvable moral disagreements

Rights

The consequences of morality not always providing a unique correct answer

A complete moral theory

Conclusion

Flow charts

Rationality

Morality

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-162) and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-988394-7

0-19-531421-2

1-280-55919-5

9786610559190

0-19-803872-0

1-4237-2092-X

OCLC:

191826226