
Practical Reasoning in a Social World
How We Act Together
Keith Graham(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 10. January 2002
Book
Hardback
216 pages
978-0-521-80378-6 (ISBN)
Description
In this book Keith Graham examines the philosophical assumptions behind the ideas of group membership and loyalty. Drawing out the significance of social context, he challenges individualist views by placing collectivities such as committees, classes or nations within the moral realm. He offers an understanding of the multiplicity of sources which vie for the attention of human beings as they decide how to act, and challenges the conventional division between self-interest and altruism. He also offers a systematic account of the different ways in which individuals can identify with or distance themselves from the groups to which they belong. His study will be of interest to readers in a range of disciplines including philosophy, politics, sociology, law and economics.
Reviews / Votes
"Graham has produced a careful and well-reasoned account of action, agency, and practical reasoning.... Recommended for upper-division undergraduates through practitioners." Choice "Overall, Graham makes a compelling case that an adequate normative theory must take account of the social dimension of human life." Ethics, Christopher McMahon, University of California, Santa Barbara "This is the best book in a recent resurgence of interest in social groups." Perspectives on PoliticsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
508 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-80378-6 (9780521803786)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
01/2005
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€27.99
Available for download
Person
Keith Graham is Professor of Social and Political Philosophy at the University of Bristol. His publications include Contemporary Political Philosophy: Radical Studies (Cambridge, 1982), The Battle of Democracy, Karl Marx, our Contemporary, and many journal articles.
Content
Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Practical reason in context; 2. The indistinctness of persons: causal interconnection; 3. The indistinctness of persons: the personhood of collectivities; 4. Practical collective identification and dissociation; 5. Practical reasoning: sources and constraints; 6. Practical reasoning and morality; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.