
The Morality of Praise
Hallvard Lillehammer(Editor)
Cambridge University Press
Will be published approx. on 31. December 2026
Book
Hardback
300 pages
978-1-009-49199-0 (ISBN)
Description
Like blame, praise has historically been considered one of the defining aspects of morality. Yet unlike blame, praise has received comparatively little dedicated attention in the philosophical canon. Does this emphasis on the negative tell us something about the nature of morality, or is it an accidental feature of the history of philosophy? This volume is the first collection of its kind to include state of the art discussions of the morality of praise as that topic relates to central issues in moral and political theory. Topics addressed in the volume include how the morality of praise relates to the morality of blame; how the apt praise of agents relates to their praiseworthiness; whether agents can be praiseworthy for their beliefs; how the morality of praise is affected by questions about autonomy, identity and luck, and the relationship between praise and distributive justice. The essays in this collection will be of interest to students and researchers in philosophy as well as to the general reader with an interest in questions of moral responsibility.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
ISBN-13
978-1-009-49199-0 (9781009491990)
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

Hallvard Lillehammer
The Morality of Praise
Book
approx. 12/2026
Cambridge University Press
€56.00
Not yet published
Person
Hallvard Lillehammer is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. He is the author of Companions in Guilt (2007), co-editor of a Special Issue of The Monist on Vicarious Responsibility and Circumstantial Luck (2021); and editor of The Trolley Problem in the Classic Philosophical Arguments series (Cambridge, 2023).
Content
Introduction: 'Praise: see blame' Hallvard Lillehammer; 1. Autonomy, Praise and the self Andrea Westlund; 2. Giving Praise its due: Praising practices and moral responsibility Nathan Stout; 3. Praiseworthy acting and Praiseworthy believing Zoe Johnson King; 4. Praiseworthiness and required action Coleen Macnamara; 5. Praiseworthiness and apt Praise Julia Markovits; 6. Resisters and endorsers: Praiseworthy moral exemplars and autonomy Natalie Stoljar; 7. Praiseworthiness and unequal moral opportunity Robert J. Hartman; 8. The wrongs of undeserved Praise Daniel Telech; 9. Varieties and vices of Praise Elinor Mason; 10. Self-serving Praise Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen; 11. Giving and receiving: standing and Praise Jules Holroyd; 12. Virtue in focus: psychological insights into moral Praise Rajen A. Anderson; 13. Praise, responsibility and the ethics of suspicion Hallvard Lillehammer; Bibliography; Index.