Ethical Norms, Particular Cases / James D. Wallace.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wallace, James D., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Authority.

Practice (Philosophy).

Ethics.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 171 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, NY : Cornell University Press, [2018]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

James D. Wallace treats moral considerations as beliefs about the right and wrong ways of doing things-beliefs whose source and authority are the same as any other kind of practical knowledge. Principles, rules, and norms arise from people's cumulative experience in pursuing their purposes and struggling with the problems they encounter. Moral knowledge, he contends, is excerpted from the bodies of information we have developed so that we will be able to raise our children, govern our communities, build our buildings, heal our ailments, and pursue the many other activities that constitute our lives. According to Wallace, understanding moral norms is a matter of understanding how they, together with the other pertinent items of practical knowledge, guide our complex activities. The more we abstract a moral principle from the concrete contexts in which it operates, Wallace argues, the less intelligible the principle becomes. Wallace's suggestion that difficult moral problems are properly resolved by attending to their context rejects Plato's thesis that immutable, timeless, universal values exist. He illustrates the process of extracting resolutions for moral dilemmas from the practical knowledge involved in concrete problems of law, medicine, and scientific research. Unprecedented problems sometimes evoke disagreement and uncertainty, prompting Wallace to consider controversies in areas as diverse as chess, commerce, and slavery. The final issue Wallace explores is the abortion problem, reasoned from the particularist perspective he advocates.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

1. Introduction: Particularism And Pluralism

2. Morality And Practical Knowledge

3. Norms As Instruments

4. Understanding Practices

5. Practical Knowledge And Will

6. Activity And Distributive Norms

7. Vexed Cases And The Owl Of Minerva

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-168) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 20. Sep 2019)

ISBN:

9781501717352

1501717359

OCLC:

1080549006