The Practice of Moral Judgment
Published on 1. February 1996
Book
Paperback/Softback
268 pages
978-0-674-69718-8 (ISBN)
Description
Barbara Herman argues for a radical shift in the way we perceive Kant's ethics. She convincingly reinterprets the key texts, at once allowing Kant to mean what he says while showing that what Kant says makes good moral sense. She urges us to abandon the tradition that describes Kantian ethics as a deontology, a moral system of rules of duty. She finds the central idea of Kantian ethics not in duty but in practical rationality as a norm of unconditioned goodness. This book both clarifies Kant's own theory and adds programmatic vitality to modern moral philosophy.
Reviews / Votes
We can gratefully acknowledge that Herman has succeeded in exploring some rich new territory with unusual patience, originality, and insight. In a domain, like Kantian ethics, that many would suppose has already been fully mapped and assessed, this is a remarkable and welcome accomplishment. -- Thomas E. Hill, Jr. * Journal of Philosophy * This publication of Barbara Herman's essays marks a major advance in the now flourishing field of Kantian ethics...Their greatest achievement is to show how Kant's ethics is based on a compelling moral psychology and a sophisticated theory of value. -- Elizabeth Anderson * Philosophical Review * Herman succeeds in presenting an interpretation of Kant's ethics that shows it to be a powerful alternative to the empiricist utilitarian, neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics, and the post-modernist individualist or existentialist ethical theories which have enjoyed such prominence in recent years...What [Herman] has given us is a deeply compelling picture of both the structure and power of Kant's regulative ideal of moral deliberation, and that is much to be grateful for indeed. -- Paul Guyer * Ethics *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
None
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
345 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-674-69718-8 (9780674697188)
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
Person
Barbara Herman is Griffin Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Content
Note on Sources 1. On the Value of Acting from the Motive of Duty 2. Integrity and Impartiality 3. Mutual Aid and Respect for Persons 4. The Practice of Moral judgment 5. What Happens to the Consequences? 6. Murder and Mayhem 7. Moral Deliberation and the Derivation of Duties 8. Obligation and Performance 9. Agency, Attachment, and Difference 10. Leaving Deontology Behind Credits Index